PHOENIX,ARIZONA•ALHAMBRAHIGHSCHOOL•April9,2012•VOL.LNO.2

The Inside

Scim

Alhambra is a school with a past. Look back with the Scim.PAGE4&5 PAGE6

Tech and Media Edgar Martinez giveshelpful tips on how tosavetheenergyonyoursmartphones.

PAGE7

“Moreconnectedintermsof socialme-diaandwewilllearnfrom countries likeChina.

Mr.CoriaPRINCIPAL

“Carswillflyandnomore physical cur-rency.JustinaNyknkun

JUNIOR

“The world wouldbecontrolledbyro-botchickens.”BrianPerezSOPHOMORE

“Everyonewouldbedepending on com-puters and moneywouldjustbecreditcards rather thanphysicalbills.MonteEvans

SECURITY

“Everything wouldbeawastelandanda disaster, and ev-eryone would beenemies.MoisesJimeniz

FROSH

Buddies breaks barriers, builds understanding

byGUADELUPEQUIJADA

One of the best clubs here at Alhambra and at many other schools, is the best buddies club. This club is mainly to allow kids with disabilities to interact with kids with don't have disabili-ties and give them an oppor-tunity to make a friend. The club also allows for regular

Accepting living and being the changeby DYANNAJIRON A new year should mean a fresh, clean slate to bring on untouched adven-tures. This year is another chance to expand knowl-edge, to get to know new people, to go places undis-covered, and to see things that have yet to be seen. To dig up hidden desires that

byISAACMONJE

This year the blood drive was a big hit! Organized by Cheer and Ms. Mandino, this years goals of pints donated surpassed last year’s number. The volunteers, gave hardly any trouble at all and that they all were very calm. “The volunteers had a lot of fun, they got to watch movies and leave class for a while,” said Ms. Mandino. Despite the fact that the average wait time was usually an hour, this did little to bother the valiant blood donors. “Most didn’t mind [waiting] because they got to eat their cookie.” Ms. Mandino said. More donors signed up than expected and Mandino couldn’t be prouder. She feels very proud because, as she

Blood drive

success

TheBestBuddiesClubisawayforstudentswithlearningchallengestobecomepartofthehighschoolexpe-rience.Theclubmeetsoften.ManystudentssayBestBuddiesisoneofthebestexperiencesyoucanhave.

students to understand that kids with disabilities are regular people just like them, and help to them understand how to act around them and to learn just to be themselves. It's a lot harder for kids with disabilities to make friends out of school to hang out with and share memories like regular kids do. Best buddies gives those kids the chance

to make a friend and give them the feeling that they are like everybody else. “The biggest challenge they face is learning how to interact with others", says Dr. D’antonio Schleig. “It goes both ways kids with and with out dis-abilities have to learn how to interact with each other.” Dr.

seeBUDDIESonpage2

Students learn thevalueof giving andhelping those inneed

seeBLOODonpage2

“Muchmorepeace.Bettergovernment.Less crime. Theworld would berighteous no wick-ednessJasonBrown

SENIOR

Whatwilltheworldbelikein15

years?

BooksThe Hunger Games isnottheonlyviolentdys-topianforteens.LookattheScim’ssuggestions.

seeCHANGEonpage6

haven’t been fulfilled yet, can lead to the most unfor-gettable experiences that the keenest imagination could never create. Instead of holding on to “shoulda,” “coulda,” “wouldas” it’s time to move onto “been there,” “done that,” “what’s next” phase of life.Having some kind of planned, life changes may

reverse the unfavorable voices that have, for what-ever reason, been planted. It can better a person by diminishing insecurities, weakening doubts, letting go of fears, forgetting wor-ries, and just feeling like the biggest recovery has been made; recovery from the vegetable state of adversity. The number one

worry of trying new things is experiencing a negative outcome. Fear of rejection, fear of making mistakes, fear of getting hurt all need to get thrown out. Phobias only hinder living life to its fullest potential. If ev-eryone was afraid, noth-ing would get done. The only fulfillment would be

NewsPAGE2

JONATHAN CORLETT

Born:Arizona

Graduated:CentralHighSchoolFavoritecolor:

BlueFavoritesong:ParadiseCity

Pastimes:Drinkingcoffee

LionProfile D’antonio believes that plac-ing students with special is good sometimes. “They need some interaction with others to feel the same as others". Kids with disabilities are separated from having regu-lar classes because the ma-terial would be difficult for them to understand, but they are given the opportunity to have electives like art or P.E. It is difficult to keep students involved in the or-ganization. The problem is maintaining the program consistently throughout the year because we lose more and more members every year." Having this club is a great opportunity for students to do something wonderful for kids with disabilities and get a better understanding of them and realize everyone is just looking for a friend. If you are interested in learning more about best buddies, see Dr. D’antonio.

byGUADELUPEQUIJADA

Every teacher at Alhambra is interesting in a different way. One of the most interesting teachers at Alhambra is Mr. Corlett. Mr. Corlett teaches sopho-more English and has been at Alhambra for four and a half years. He is loved by many of his students because of his easy going nature. The Scimitar was lucky to sit down with him and ask a few questions.

Scimitar:What do you like to do on your spare time?Mr. Corlett: I have two wonderful daughters that keep me busy. Chasing af-ter a 5 year old and 2 year old keeps me on my toes. When I have spare time I like to garden , work on projects around the house, and occasionally pick up a book. I am currently read-ing Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris and rereading Leo Marxs The Machine in the Garden.

Scimitar:What’s the most interesting thing that’s happened to you at Al-hambra?Mr. Corlett: Every day at AHS provides an opportu-nity for something inter-esting to happen.

Mr. Corlett in-depth

Scimitar: What type of music genre do you like to listen to? Why ?Mr. Corlett: I listen to a wide variety of music. I like Post-Rock bands like GODSPEEDYOU-BLACKEMPEROR and Shellac. I also like the classics: Gun’s and Roses, Social Distortion, and Nir-vana. The last two bands I saw live were We Were Promised Jetpacks and Bear Hands.

Scimitar: What are your opinions about Alhambra?Mr.Corlett: I think Alham-bra is a wonderful school that is brimming with po-tential.Scimitar: What was your previous job?

Mr. Corlett: I have deliv-ered pizza, worked for JC Penny, sold tickets at Ticketmaster, and been a cashier at Office Max. I would have to say that de-livering pizza was the most filling job I ever had.Scimitar: Where did you grow up? Did you like there?

Mr. Corlett: I grew up in Phoenix. The “Slope” aka Sunnyslope, was my hood. I attended Central High School in the 90’s. I had a great childhood. I had sup-portive parents that made sure I made the most of my opportunities.

Scimitar: How well do you get along with your co-workers?

Mr.Corlett: I enjoy almost all of my co-workers. They are truly a of characters.

Scimitar: Why did you move to Alhambra?Mr.Corlett:Alhambra was my first official teaching gig. It was a great opportu-nity at the perfect moment. I couldn’t turn it down. Looking back, it was one of the greatest decisions I could have made. Teach-ing English at Alhambra is definitely hard work, but it is also very rewarding.

Scimitar: Who do you ad-mire? Why?Mr. Corlett: I admire many people. I admire my mother’s spirit and tenac-ity. I admire Shannon Ka-vanagh’s morality and her belief that the “personal is political”. I admire Charles Bukowski’s brutal hon-esty. I see many men and woman around me daily that are willing to make sacrifices, take chances, and attempt the incredible. I admire them all.

Mr. Corlett instructs his class on drafting a response to a sam-ple AIMS prompt. Teaching Sophomores, Mr. Corlett was re-sponsible for preparing students for this important exam.

Mr.CorlettshareshisthoughtsonwhatmakesAlhambrain-teresting,hisco-workers,andwhatmusicmoveshim

explained, has a very deep connection to the annual blood drive she tells me of her recollection “Two years ago I had an cheerleader– who had graduated,– get in a car crash and needed massive amounts of blood transfusions and when I heard I could do a blood drive I jumped at the opportunity”. The annual blood drive is a noble deed and with the great success it was this year they hope they can achieve higher goals in the future.

Buddies

Blood

TheAlhambraScimitar3839 West Camelback RoadPhoenix, AZ 85015(602)764-6144 Adviser

Mr. Adney

Editor-In-ChiefDyanna Jiron

StaffDyanna JironIsaac Monje

Guadalupe QuijadaRene Rodriguez

The Scimitar is a pub-lication of Alhambra High School’s seventh period newspaper class. It is published five times a year.

Editorial Policy: All editorials will reflect the majority of the edi-tors’ opinions and will be written by an editor.

Ethic Policy: All sto-ries are accurate to the reporter’s best ability and the information in the story must be able

to be documented. We vow to do no harm nor print obscene or vulgar media of any kind. The source’s name can be withheld upon request. Everything is written for the reader. We are the voice of all Alham-bra students and strive to represent all students regardless of race, gen-der, ethnicity, and abil-ity.

Letters to the Editor and Guest Submission Policy: All letters to the

editor must not exceed 200 words. They may be handwritten or typed. All letters can be submit-ted by either e-mail, via Mr. Adney’s mailbox or delivered to room 1144. All guest submissions must be submitted elec-tronically. All submis-sions must include the author’s name, grade and English teacher. All letters and guest sub-missions that are to be printed will be edited for clarity and length.

Opinion PAGE 3

byRENERODRIGUEZ

Alhambra High School, along with the rest of the Phoenix Union high school district, participates in a reading program avail-able for freshman, English Language Learning stu-dents, and special needs students. The program, called Reading is Funda-mental (RIF), gives books to the students to get them

RIF brings books to frosh students

to start reading more often and to encourage them to start a home library. The program offers a variety of books, from pic-ture books, chapter books, horror books and much more. Students are allowed to choose and keep Three books of their choice. We interviewed some students who experienced RIF, to see what they think of it. We had different answers that varied, but in general, the students didn’t seem to be putting the program to good use. Jose, who asked that his last name not be used said, “The books are nice, but I think they should go in the library. Lots of them [other students] don’t read.”

Hopefully in time they’ll realize the effectiveness of reading in their academics. RIF, is America’s oldest government support-ed literacy program. Every year the RIF organization donates 15 million books to students in low-income schools. It’s nice to give stu-dents books, but if some-thing was connected to it might be more popular and more students would take it seriously. Like if a while bunch of kids picked the same book they could all read it and talk about it in their class. I think is a great pro-gram, but kids like Jose are wasting the chance to be a better reader.

Barbara Olachea looks through the selection put out for RIF (Reading Is Fundamental). Therewere a large selection of titles including books that would appeal to a wide variety of students.

Mr. Brink, the school Librar-ian, instructs freshmen onthe process of selecting Read-ing Is Fundamental books.

byDYANNAJIRON Prom is an event that every high school student awaits. This year the special occasion is right around the corner on Saturday, April 21, so no more anticipating. Prom will be held at the beautiful Crowne Plaza hotel. It isn’t hard to find or too faraway, because it is located by Metro Center Mall. The hotel will be decked out with festive colors of purple, green, and gold to bring to life the Mardi Gras theme. Expect to be dazzled not only by the eye-popping colors and decorations, but also the five star menu provided at prom for everyone attending. Even with some of the great things promised by the current Junior class, The biggest issue is the cost of tickets. Most of the

The pros and cons of prom 2012

Lookingatbothsidesofthebestnightoftheyear

students I spoke to wanted to see a discounted price for couples. These days, students are trying to cut costs wherever they can. It’s even more disappointing that this year’s price of $65 for a single ticket becomes $130 for a couple. This is much higher than last year’s $75 couple ticket. The Junior class tried something novel for Prom; an included sit-down dinner. While the idea is nice and could be a money-saver for some, students want to go out to dinner to a restaurant they choose. This is today’s expectation. Sit-down dinners are very old-fashioned. It could be nice, it’s just not the option that someone their senior year would expect. All-in-all people will go to prom, but the excitement is lacking just a little.

Saving the pastAlhambra’s

teachersmakesurethep

aststaysalive

Sports tradi-tions

make the past funMs. Brumel

s, Assistant

PrincipalforAthletics

Sport traditions help

create friendship, help cre-

ate character, and provide a

foundation for students here

at Alhambra High School.

Mrs.Brumels does a great

job at keeping those tradi-

tions in tact. One of the most

favorite and cherished

traditions is Home

Coming. Which

kicks off the start

of the Senior foot-

ball season Some

other sports traditions

Mrs.Brumels oversees,

is the girls Powder Puff

football game (Organized

by Ms. Walsh) which hap-

pens ounce a year when

the Junior and Senior girls

play a game of flag football.

Then there’s the boys vol-

leyball where in this case

the boys juniors and seniors

play a game of volleyball,

those both a class rivalry.

After that there’s the Valley

Classic witch is a State track

meet that takes place here at

Alhambra. The last big event

is the J.R.O.T.C. Desert

Classic witch is a Drill meet

for all J.R.O.T.C. members.

Those both take place in

April. For Mrs. Brumels it’s

more then just planning and

getting ready that keeps the

traditions going. Its more

about the students getting

together and interacting

with each other and creating

memories that makes these

traditions more special and

memorable. These sports

traditions are meant to be

passed down for decades

to come, because it’s a part

of the schools history, and

without them no one will

have school spirit. Relation-

ships wouldn’t be made and

so wouldn’t the memories.

Because that is what keeps

us together as one. So if

you ever have the chance,

go thank Mrs. Brumels for

keep-i n g o u r s p o r t t radi -t i o n s a l i v e , and lets take the past and spread it through out the future.

Click, clack, EnglishMr.Adney,E

nglish

In a world that advances

every day it is a rare sight

to encounter a person who

endeavors to preserve the

past. One such person is Mr.

Adney who I’ve decided

to interview on his

u n i q u e col-

l e c -

tion of typewriters.

He began his col-

lection two years ago

when he first found a

typewriter here at our

very own library! His

fascination with typewrit-

ers is simply because he

likes anything mechanical

and the fact that typewriters

serve for a single purpose.

Leo and

Leona at

a footb

all game

. 1966

Bikes lined up in front of Alhambra.

1984

The Auditorium du

ring the 1960s wa

s

open in the front

. The library was

a

parking lot

AlhambraHighSchool

The Varsity team in 1968

The Auditorium du

ring the 1960s wa

s

open in the front

. The library was

a

parking lot

LookingBack...

The Varsity team in 1968

Like most collec-

tors, Mr. Adney, has a fa-

vorite of the collection his

favorite is the one currently

sitting on his desk he likes it

because it has that “certain

feel to it” and is fast. Anoth-

er noticeable typewriter besides his favorite is his oldest model

a 1916 foldable

Smith Corona. With

old typewriters like that

I wondered how he man-

ages to maintain them he

explained to me that he

oils and dusts them daily along with re-placing the ribbons oc-casionally “Because of their age it’s hard to get re-p l a c e -m e n t s but I o r -

der ribbons from

Michigan it’s just a matter

of patience” he added. Even

though he collects typewrit-

ers he also gives them away

“I recently started to give

Alhambra students who are

interested in them, a lot of

students love to use them

in class however some pre-

fer handwriting” he also

doesn’t mind giving them

away he just wants others to

share the same admiration

of typewriters and perhaps

inspire others to admire

them as well.

History is aliveMr.Smith,HistoryMr. Scott Smith , by all ac-

counts is a very engaging

teacher. “He explains ev-

erything and it was easy to

learn. I actually like history

because of his class,” says

Micaela Barragan, a Senior.

This opinion is shared by

many of his students. The way that Mr. Smith

makes history engag-ing is to use many primary source documents. Pri-mary Source documents are stories, m a p s , narra-tives,

o r

other forms of writing that

were created by people who

were eye-witnesses to the

events described. For students who are more

visual learners these types

of visual examples can make

history a real subject. Mr.

Smith says, “I am a visual

learner. It was always hard

for me to read about some-

thing without seeing it.”When studying a topic like

the Russian Revolution, Mr.

Smith might share pictures

or a newspaper from the

same time period. Students

will get a chance to see how

that historical event evolved

through time. “I tell my stu-

dents that I can be an expert

on the Russian Revolu-

tion, but I never lived

during it. Getting the

feedback from people

who were alive [at that time] is so im-

portant in defin-ing time period

or event,” says Mr. Smith.

Through real pri-mary source documents,

Mr. Smith also shows stu-

dents that history is more

surprising than it seems.

There are two sides to ev-

ery historical event, and his

primary-source documents

help tell these stories. “There are times when

students are shocked

at the various sourc-es because they only

have been told one

side... It is hard when they

hear something they don’t

want to.”

Mr. Smith’s experience

working in summer camps

taught him the value of ac-

tivities that are engaging

and interesting. “I am usu-

ally loud, passionate, and

love telling stories,” says

Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith’s ap-

proach to history is influ-

enced by his background.

Rosa Ruelas types a journal entry in Mr. Adney’s class. This year was the first time she ever used a typewriter.

Mr. Smith smiles in front of the primary-

source documents that cover his walls. They

are actual newspapers from the the past.

BooksPAGE6

Change

by ARIELCASTRO

Fantastically plot-ted and well paced is what a futuristic novel excels at. The Hunger Games is a young adult novel writ-ten by the magnificent Su-zanne Collins. It is told in a distant future, where the nation Panem resides in what was known as North America before. It is writ-ten in first person and intro-duces 16 year old Katniss Everdeen. The new country has an annual event called The Hunger Games. It's an event where one boy and girl from 12 districts com-pete in a televised battle. It is a punishment for a pre-vious rebellion against the government also known as the Capitol, in which District 13 was destroyed. The story follows Katniss, who is from District 12 that volunteers in place of her younger sister, who was chosen randomly. The male tribute is named Peeta Mel-lark, whom Katniss knows from her school. Both of them will compete in The Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games includes two major charac-ter Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Katniss is a 16 year old girl and lives in the poorest district, Dis-trict 12. She volunteers in place of her sister, when her sister is chosen ran-domly to participate in the games. Peeta Mellark is 16 as well but was born in a more wealthier part of the District. He was chosen as the male tribute from Dis-trict 12. Peeta recognizes Katniss because he had a crush on Katniss since he was 5. Katniss also recog-nizes him from school and living in the same district. The games will test both Peeta and Katniss limits. The Hunger Games is a book that I highly recom-mended to read. It appeals to fans of action and sci-ence fiction. Readers will be entertained by the twist and turns of Katniss ad-ventures. It is not a book to miss out and should be read before you watch the mov-ie, which premiered March 23, 2012.

Hunger Games leaves you hungry for more

TheHungerGamesisthehottestnoveloutthere.Ifyouareafanofreading,youmightfeellikeyouneedsome-

thingelsetoread.That’swhy

If you love the Hunger Games, you’ll love...

GreenHeartAliceHoffmanIn a place where nothing seems to grow and everything is covered in ashes, 15-year-old Green is haunted by the past and the loss of her family. To cope she retreats into a ruined garden. Through several mysterious encounters Green realizes the power of love and begins to heal her-self. As Green comes to terms with the difficult world in which she lives, she seeks out the wisdom of mysterious women who have been decried as witches. Through their lessons Green will find her true heart’s desire.

BarCodeTattooSuzaneWeynIn the year 2025 and getting a barcode tattoo is a rite of passage. The “too” is an identification card, a credit card, and a way to track the genetic code inside your body. Ev-eryone gets one. Kayla Reed, however, is more hesitant than her friends because of what she knows. Her father killed himself and her mother is an alcoholic all because of something they knew about the barcodes. Kayla is moved to act and joins a group dedicated to getting rid of the tattoos. But what if it is too late for society?

TheScorpioRacesMaggieSteifvaterAt the start of November riders attempt to hold on to their water horse long enough to win the Scorpio Races. Some cross the finish line. Other do not. Sean Kendrick returns as a champion. A ninteen-year-old of few words, if he has a fear of the race he buries it deep inside himself. Puck Connolly is the opposite. She was never meant to ride in the race. Fate has brought her to the race. She is also the first girl to ever enter the competition. Regardless of her reasons it is clear that Puck is in no way prepared for what is to come.

Twoanonymousseniorshaveletusintotheircreativeandpoeticworldbysharingsomeoftheirpieces.Bothpoemshavebeeninspiredbypersonalandemotionalevents.TheyhavebeencourageousenoughtolettheirwordsbeseentoallofAlhambra.

Aspiring Poets of Alhambra

Dainty HeartAnonymous

Upon my neck sits a dainty little heart.Empty and symbolic for my feel -ings about our part.My title as your best friend is now shattered into bits, but still that little locket on my neck sits.I try to show my pride but as I reach up for the heart, I remember all my feelings and I'm right back at the start.I feel the knot within my throat and try to hold back the tears, but how can I do such a thing after all these years.It sits there in the open, pretty and so small but the pictures there which should be of us, aren't there at all.That little heart you gave me symbolizes mine, empty

on the inside but the outside looks just fine...

My Zealous HeartAnonymous

A sea of flames within me,You are the fire,the inextinguishable blaze,Fueled by your eyes, your laugh-ter, Your Amazing smile

A desire I long for youyou deepen the cut that needsYour Tenderness, your beauty, Your Adorable humor

A love in me,an intensity of heat,you dance within the clouds,you dance with the moon and stars,You dance in my Zealous Heart.

disappointment. Life with-out change is like being in prison. People forget what being free means. They for-get that freedom has been forever endowed on them. New can mean taking a risk of creating new memories, but either way each experi-ence will bring forth well-roundedness. The thought of a “bucket list” may sound sil-ly to some, but writing down a list of future accomplish-ments can provide motiva-tion and excitement. Some-

thing about writing goals down just makes it feel more real and less intimidating to go after. It is also helpful to remember that even though at some times the feeling of invincibility if engulfed within, make sure the goals are realistic. Risk taking can be fun and liberating, but it is possible to experience that without putting lives in danger. Every future ac-complishment should have certain precautions. The first important step is believing. Not hav-ing faith makes the many

possibilities impossible. The hardest step is taking action. A dreamer can easily talk about the many endeav-ors they’ll experience, but for dreams to exist it takes a pair of legs and a willing mind. Last but not least, the easiest step is to watch it all workout and create everlast-ing memories in a life that was always meant to be. If true vivacity is longed for, then following these few steps can be of guidance. Just have a little trust with-in.

Tech&Media PAGE7

byEDGARMARTINEZ

Smart phones, we all love them and they’re the perfect pocket-sized personal assistants. We use them to keep up to date on social networking sites, check emails, read books, stay in contact in friends and family, and pretty much anything else you need to do on the fly, and not to mention the insanely ad-dictive games we all have. Although smart phones are handy, there’s always that question someone asks dur-ing class, “Do you have a phone charger!?” Having a weak battery especially when you need to tasks done, can be quite the nui-sance. Everyone always as-sumes it’s just the phone and there isn’t a way to prevent

Keep Your Smart Phone Alive

byDYANNAJIRON Students and staff at Alhambra were entertained by a visit from a band called PK. PK had a mini concert by the band room during fourth and fifth lunches on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. Music filled the cam-pus as students gathered around to enjoy PK’s cre-ative tunes. PK took the time to let us, AHS, on to their music inspired life. All five members of the band piled in Mr. Adney’s classroom to answer the many ques-tions of the Newspaper and Yearbook staff. They introduced themselves in-dividually as: Travis (lead singer), Matt (guitar), Nick

Alhambra High School was treated with another band to perform especially for the students and staff. The Car Tunes came all the way from Hol-lywood, California to share their music to multiple high schools in Arizona. The band thought it would not only be a fun experience to play to crowds of teenagers, but also to gain more fans in hopes of getting more notice in the music industry and get to play at larger venues. The Car Tunes con-sist of five members, in-cluding the manager; Josh the lead singer and guitarist, Joey the lead guitarist, Jor-dan the bassist, Tommy the drummer, and Sam the man-ager. All the band members agreed that Alhambra was “legendary” for being a ma-jor supporter to bands. They talked about the importance of musical influence, that’s why they loved playing at the high schools here in Ari-zona. They too were influ-enced by music at a young age. In fact, Josh, Jordan, and Sam were friends dur-ing middle school and be-came a band in the seventh

grade. When Joey and Tom-my came along, they of-ficially became a band and have been for two and a half years. Like other bands, The Car Tunes have grown to be the band they are by musical influences. Togeth-er they agreed that the Beat-les, Led Zeppelin, Kings of Leon, Weezer, and the White Stripes have had the biggest impact on them musically. Even though some would classify The Car Tunes as alternative rock, but they enjoy various types of mu-sic like hardcore metal, rap, and R&B. They’ve done plenty of covers of songs from different genres other than rock. In the end, The Car Tunes came to the con-clusion and said, “We like music of every kind, so we feel we can never sell-out.” The Car Tunes are truly about having a good time, but when it comes to making music they’re abso-lutely passionate and seri-ous. They were only in Ari-zona for a couple of weeks, but they made impression-able memories and everlast-ing fans.

it, but there are some helpful tips that can help maximize your smart phones battery life: Reduce the bright-ness on your phones screen- Your phone will conserve battery by not having to completely power the dis-play especially if you have a huge screen. Turn off your data connectivity when you aren’t using it-When data is enabled on your device it will still run in the back-ground downloading, sync-ing, and updating content on your phone. Turning it on when you’re actually going to use it can make a huge difference and can help lower your bandwidth usage on your data plan. Turn off WiFi even if you’re not connected to

a network- having it on will allow it to search around your location to see if there are any networks you can connect to. This also goes for Bluetooth. Turn off GPS loca-tion- when it is still on the GPS will track your location in the background without notifying. Change the time-out time on the phones dis-play Instead of having your phone turn off every one minute set it to 30 second, every bit helps. Finally giving your phone regular charges around the same time ev-eryday can help keep your phone running all day. Leav-ing your phone charging af-ter it has finished charging can potentially damage the phone and battery itself.

Alhambra bombarded by talent

WhoisPK? TheCarTunes

Talk nerdy to me.Tutoring is available if you need help.

See Mr. Rodriguez in the front office for more infomration.

(guitar), Mikel (bass), and Rico (drums), friends and band mates from California. Their mission at Alhambra was to gain more listeners for their big performance at the Plantation in Cave Creek, Arizona. Since it was their first time ever in Arizona, they thought it would be essential for their visit. The band wanted to let people (like Alhambra students) know what they were all about through their music. Even though the members of PK are in their twenties, they did enjoy embracing their adolescent side what at AHS. Their band name is even named after a character in a comic book called, Power of One.

PK spoke about their musi-cal influences such as the Killers, the Strokes, the Deftones, Billy Idol, and Lady GaGa, and the band’s history. Their friendship precedes their band of two years, which led them to their very special piece of advice to those aspiring to have a successful band: “Do it with the people you actually like.” For PK, it makes life easier for them as a band because they en-joy each others’ company. Even though PK was only at Alhambra for one day, memorable im-pressions were left on the students and staff of Al-hambra, and many Arizo-nians who attended their concert in Cave Creek.

TheBackPageLookingforward

ThestaffofTheAlhambraScimitarsearchestheuniverseforthesestoriesoftheamazingpresent,orthefantasticfuture.

Some of the bigger nerds out

there might be enthusiastic enough to remember a scene from Star Trek IV may

recall a scene where Scottie exchanges knowledge of some futuristic 24th century material called “trans-

parent aluminum.” Well, this science-fiction technology has arrived. Sort of.

Instead of making metallic aluminum transparent, scientists have created an aluminum-based transparent ceramic called alumi-

num oxynitride (aka ALON). Transparent aluminum starts out as a pile of aluminum oxynitride powder. The powder is packed into a rubber mold and subjected to isostatic pressing where the mold and the powder is compressed in a tank of hydraulic to 15,000 psi. After this it is heated to 2000 degrees for two days. What comes out needs to be polished, but it is transpar-ent. This futuristic material can be used to cre-

ate bulletproof glass. In tests it has been able to stop a .50 AP bullet with a plate

of ALON only1.6 inches thick. Such a material can be used for bulletproof

windows, lenses for battlefield op-tics, and the clear sensor head

covers on many missiles.

Lookin

g through aluminum

Three pieces of optically transparent aluminum

ceramic.

Prototype of the 10, 000 year

clock.

From

http ://w

ww.longnow.org

/clock

/

Deep inside of a mountain in Texas a clock is chiming. This clock is hundreds of feet

tall and designed to run for 10,000 years. When the clock chimes each chime is unique and original

and will not be repeated in 10,000 years. This ambitious project, still under construction, is a project of the Long Now Foundation. The idea of a clock that would last 10 millennia was created by computer scientist Danny Hillis. He believed that to have such a device, the ma-chine would need to be incorporated into the mythology of man. In 1996 Stewert Brand, a friend of Danny Hillis, crated a non-profit organization called The Long Now Foundation to undertake the huge project. The clock is totally different from the watch you are wearing or anything you have seen. It takes the concept of time and displays it in a cosmic scale. Instead of a second and minute hand time is rendered in years and hundreds of years Because the spans of time are so long a gear on this clock might not appear to move in your own lifetime, but it will…slowly. So slowly does it move, that gears and levers made of metal might actually fuse together. That’s why the engineers and sci-entists who are working on this clock designed it to be made

with metal and high-tech ceramics that can last 17,000 years or longer. With any luck this amazing machine

will be still ticking when your 500th great-grand-child is in high school.

Keepin

g

time on an e pic scale

Goog

le Street View

now

covers the Amazon R

iver Basin

The Denver Zoo’s poo-pow

ered vehicle shows the p

otential for

bio

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euls.

UK man gets

a prostetic

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b wi

th smartphone built-in.