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The AP label and what it means to public education.BY CHRIS ALLEN

Letters to the editor on all sorts of good stu!.

Exeter High School goes green with the power of the sun.BY DAVID CLAAR

After a Christmas Tourney win, what’s next for boys hockey?BY NICK FERRERI

Why students can’t get away from the slopes.BY AMANDA LOSAPIO

With the "lm 2012 giving us a spectacular end to the world,we look at some other possibilities.

From the movies that made you pee your pants in laughter, to themost innovative technologies, and even the best video games, we piece

together what we believe to be the very best of the past year. COMPILED BY DAVID CLAAR

An original drawing board concept for study hall check-in.BY CHRIS POPE

Big word, big consequences for a younger generation.BY JACK TISDALL

Granite State on keeping hip-hop music alive and well. BY CHRIS POPE

The Festival of Trees, captured in photos.BY TORI PUTNAM

Learn how to Tech-Deck or drive a standard.BY PAIGE FERRERI + AMANDA LOSAPIO

Chris Allen

Chris PopeNick Ferreri

Rachel ChesnoDavid ClaarSiobhan DarmodyNate DulleaCarina FalkPaige FerreriChristina HubbardAlex LaCasseBrendan LortieAmanda LosapioTori PutnamJack Tisdall

Rob Schneider

The Talon is the Exeter High School student magazine. It is produced by students in the News Publications class and includes contributions from the immediate community

including students and sta!. It is an open forum for student expression and a voice for robust discussion of issues.

The Talon’s purpose is to provide an engaging, thought-provoking, sensitive, and relevant publication for the SAU 16 community. While the opinions presented in this publication

may not be re#ective of the entire student or sta! popula-tion, they will be soundly substantiated. Similarly, while the facts presented may not be what everyone wants to hear,

they will be truthful.

The Talon’s responsibility is to produce media based upon professional standards of accuracy, objectivity, and fairness.

The Talon’s priority is to raise the school community’s aware-ness of school-wide issues as well as major issues in the wider

communities EHS students are members of; in turn giving EHS students and sta! the opportunity to become more

involved in their communities. As a secondary role The Talon will also be a source of entertainment for the student body.

P L E A S E R E C Y C L E

T H I S M A G A Z I N E

The classes of 1999 and 2000 left the granite sign found in front of the

school as a senior class gift.

About 3 years ago, the President of the class of 2000 contacted Mr. Kinton and Mr. Sokul

about getting it relocated to its current location. However, the cost to do so was

assessed roughly $5000.

The project originally fell through due to a hefty price tag, but recent e!orts of the

administration have allowed the sign to mi-grate from the old school to the new one.

Mr. Sokul appealed to the school board and averted the cost by having our own mainte-nance crew bring it over and install the sign

with the help of Bell & Flynn.

JANUARY 2010

tered at a school divided by the number of stu-dents in the senior class; it’s no wonder schools are making every e!ort to sign up their students. As for the CollegeBoard, $86 multiplied by more than one million is certainly enough to pay the six-"gure salaries of those who run the “non-pro"t” business. Perhaps the most e!ective solution to this co-nundrum would be for public high schools to rid their most challenging courses of the AP label. The most e!ective education is not one cen-tered on teaching to a test or the regurgitation of material. Teachers are undoubtedly capable of o!ering their own independent and rigorous courses; they have been for hundreds of years.

Chris Allen EDITOR IN CHIEF

t public high schools across the country, Advanced Placement class-es are o!ered to provide advanced high school students with college-

level coursework. At least that was their initial purpose. The CollegeBoard’s program is rap-idly expanding with 1.6 million students taking AP courses in 2009, a 50 percent increase from 2004. For this change there exists a simple ex-planation in the incentives of both schools and students. Public high schools are eager to of-fer AP courses to indicate the strength of their curriculum, while countless students are eager to take these courses to demonstrate their aca-demic potential in the college application pro-cess. Herein lies the problem. Students take AP classes for a variety of rea-sons. There are those who genuinely wish to challenge themselves and those who look to earn college credit and reduce costs. But this is only a minority. 60 percent of teachers surveyed by the New York Times said that “parents push

their children into A.P. classes when they really don’t belong there.” So why are parents push-ing? Parents push because they, in the same way students do, buy into a label the CollegeBoard has so meticulously crafted. By taking AP class-es, students not only appear to be taking the most rigorous courses available to them, but they boost their grade point averages with the weight of these courses. The New York Times survey also noted that 50 percent of AP teachers said “too many students overestimate their abili-ties and are in over their heads.” Some students even enroll in AP classes without the slightest intention of taking the exam. Because of students’ intentions, course selec-tion is more strategic than the result of individual preference. But students aren’t to blame; it is the CollegeBoard and school districts that fuel the problem. The formula for Newsweek’s annual cover story on America’s 100 Best High Schools is derived from the number of AP tests adminis-

Dear Editor,

I believe the juniors not being allowed to use the side door in the morning is completely ridiculous! I understand that there are security issues with more than just the main front door being open, but stu-dents enter through the Cafe. The door is easily accessible from the junior lot and makes much more sense, especially during winter time. Being able to use the door nearest the junior lot would be greatly helpful and appreci-ated by the class.

DANI FREGEAU grade 11

Dear Editor,

The word “probably” has hit EHS like the plague. Almost everyone says it sarcastically, and about everything. “I probably like that.” “I probably want you to do that.” “I probably care.” It has gotten to the point where if someone actually wants to say “probably” meaning “likely, but not certain” then it is assumed they are being sarcastic. This is de"antly not a good thing and its actually kind of annoying.

CORY KERZNAR grade 11

Write to us at thetalon@sau16.org. We’ll probably only publish your entry if we agree with you, but hey, you might get lucky. Just kidding.

50% SCHOOL-RELATED COMMENTARY

30% FEEDBACK FROM ISSUE TWO “50 YEARS LATER”

5% OUT -OF-SCHOOL ISSUES, ACTIVITIES

15% RANDOM THOUGHTS

The class of 2010, with the help of the class of 2011, will present the Annual Winter Semi-Formal on Saturday, January 23 at 7:00 p.m. in the Latvis Cafeteria. Dress for this event will be the same as homecoming and

students from all grades are invited.

40%POSITIVE

60%NEGATIVE

Dear Editor,

Theater kids are looked past as weirdo’s or social outcasts.$ People don’t know how to react when we skip down the hallway, sing in a place not normally sung in, or are being extra friendly with too much makeup on.$ The people who do the-ater are some of the easiest people to get along with.$ We do not judge.$ We accept people for who they are and we don’t care whether they are considered popular or a total loser of their grade. Most people do not realize how di%cult it can be to stand up on a stage in front of hun-dreds of people and be a character that is far from you. $We work from the day of auditions to closing night making sure that we put on a great show.$ Before you go and put a label on theater kids, think about the work and struggles that we go through. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

HALEY ERDBRINK grade 10

Dear Editor,

One night when my friends and I were waiting for Flatbreads pizza we thought up a game. The object of the game is to get as many phone numbers of the opposite sex that you can. The rules are as follows:1. The "rst person to ask for the phone number gets it.2. Getting a phone number is worth +10 points.3. After you get the phone number you have to

call it to see if it is actually them; if it is then you get another +10 points.4. If it is not them then you get -10 points.5. If you call and you get the voice mail you have to leave a message asking them on a date, or else you get -10 points.6. If you ask for a phone number and you get turned down its -5 points.7. If you get slapped you automatically lose.8. First person to get 100 points wins.This game passes the time incredibly fast. I would like to give Jesse Dionne and Kyle Wood-illa credit for this game too.

CLINT HOBBS grade 11

Dear Editor,

Why are juniors required to stay at school for both their lunches and their study halls? It feels like seniors get to have all the fun, while we, as juniors, are treated as underclassmen. Junior year is often referred to as the most challenging year of high school; not only does the work get increasingly di%cult, but it is the last real year to academically impress colleges. Shouldn’t we be rewarded for working in overdrive 24/7? If ju-niors were able to leave for their free periods, it would make for happier juniors and would solve the growing problem of over crowdedness at lunches. Isn’t that a win/win situation? I sincerely hope that the administration re-evaluates the present situation and comes up with at least a compromise on this pressing issue.

ZOE RICHARDS grade 11

JANUARY 2010

50% of the world’s energy will come fromrenewable sources by 2040

(Predicted by Shell Oil Company)

See Exeter High School mens hockey take on Trinity on Saturday, January 16 at 6:30 PM at the Rinks at Exeter. PG. 10

n 2006 a brand new Exeter High School was built. The building exceeded all ex-

pectations and drew lots o! positive attention. Thanks to immense support from the taxpayers of the SAU16 district, the school has embraced advancements in technology. The most current advancement comes in the form of energy con-servation. The roofs of the school, upon comple-tion of this project, will house the largest solar array in the entire state of NH. In early December, while enduring freezing temperatures, a group of SST students helped to move and set up 360 solar panels on top of EHS. Among them was senior Corey Rogness, who was involved in multiple aspects of assem-bling the panels. “We assembled the panels in the parking lot while the teachers and Revolu-tion Energy assisted us,” he said. “I was then har-nessed to the roof with a few other students and

we pulled the panels up with ropes.” Once on the roof, the panels will collect any ray of sun that strikes the top of the school and this energy will then be used to help reduce heating and power costs. Because of its large size, the school’s energy bill costs an average of $470,000 a year. With the panels installed, this will cut about $25,000 a year from this total cost. In addition to the panels, the Tuck Learning Center will be getting a wind turbine, and new e%cient boilers will be installed at the SST build-ing. The turbine and boilers are expected to virtually diminish the energy costs for the two buildings. The problem, however, is that these solar pan-els, turbine and boilers are extremely expensive pieces of equipment. Because of their cost, they weren’t originally on the top of the priority list for SAU16 taxpayers. What seemed like a lost

cause was suddenly turned into a real possibil-ity when Nate Lunney, Chief Financial O%cer of SAU16, was able to negotiate a remarkable deal. Revolution Energy was highly interested in be-ing involved with the largest solar project in NH. “They agreed to provide all of the panels and allow the school to pay them o! solely on the money we save each year,” said Mr. Lunney. In addition to this, the government provides fed-eral tax incentives up to 30% for companies who try to go green. Since EHS is a school, we did not qualify for the incentives, but since Revolution Energy owns the equipment and they do qualify, which means less of a cost for the school. If for any reason there is no drop in energy consumption costs, Revolution Energy will pay the school the dif-ference that was promised to be saved with the instal-lation of the new system. If all goes according to plan, the energy-e%cient equip-ment should be entirely paid o! within the next 18 years. “This project is very exciting and over time, will bene"t our school greatly,” said Mr. Sokul. With the state’s largest solar array, Exeter High School hopes not only to minimize its impact on the environment but also provide a long-term plan for reducing costs.

Number of solar panels to be installed on the roof of the school.Data: Exeter High School Energy Project

Exeter High School will soon be the greenest public high school in the state.

What will come of the ‘09 - ‘10 boys varsity hockey team? Will they have a winning record? Will they have a losing record? Or will they pos-sibly make it to the state "nals where Derek Fernholds will score in overtime for the win? “We are one of the top teams, it just depends if we come out to play or not,” said senior captain Zack Kelleher. “We have the potential to win it this year.” If there were a year to win it, this would be the one as the majority of the team is made up of

returning seniors who already have experience playing at the varsity level. In addition to this, the acquisition of Trevor Nelson and Chris Pope who previously played on private teams during the school’s hockey season, has given the team a substantial boost on both o!ense and defense. The team experienced a di%cult start with a loss to Hanover and then Pinkerton in overtime, but saw great improvement over the Christmas tournament with three wins and a champion-ship. For three days of the holiday break the

boys varsity hockey team pulled out win after win until they "nally knocked down St. Thomas in overtime of the championship game. The Christmas win gave the team a jolt of con-"dence that has helped them so far and will hopefully continue throughout the post season. While the seniors provide a robust foundation to the team, there are also plenty of other play-ers who have their time to shine on the ice. Of-ten times sports teams in general, at high school and every other level, will have a phenomenal start-ing lineup that sweeps opponents away; however, once those play-ers come o! the "eld, court, or rink, there is nothing. All great teams have depth, and that is what this Exeter’s boys varsity hockey team has this year. Zack Kelleher, Ethan Gauvin, and Greg Hayes play excellent together and move the puck well, while Will Vogt, Cam Stoddard, and Dakota Ev-ans have each made their own o!ensive contri-butions. Juniors Derek Fernholds, Cam Tufts, and Matt Gunst have also stepped up this year, see-ing signi"cant playing time and rounding out an e!ective three lines for the team. The defense is equally strong, providing solid support for Daley in net. Although the team’s depth is fantastic, there are a few key players, one being Nelson on de-fense. “He’s so dynamic,” said Zack. “He’s good at defense but he’s on o!ense because he has good control with the puck and is not afraid to skate with it and creates lots of opportunities.” The hockey team de"nitely has the potential to win its second Division I title in school history. Their toughest competitors are Hanover, Bishop Guertin, and Pinkerton, who will all be competi-tors in the playo!s.

JANUARY 2010

Want a voice in Exeter High School’s curriculum? Now with the EHS student curriculum council, students have that medium. Students, along with curriculum coordinator Mrs. Freyburger and principal Mr. Sokul, meet once a month to dis-cuss students’ concerns regarding curriculum-related issues. Past topics have included time to select classes, weighted GPA versus un-weighted GPA, class rankings, and teacher recommenda-tions. In past years, students have had growing

sentiments that these concerns, among others, have fallen on deaf ears. Mrs. Freyburger’s hopes for this council are that students’ concerns are taken into consideration and they have the chance to voice their concerns directly to those who make the decisions. Even though council member Xinran Xiao is fully aware the council is not a di-rect medium for change in Exeter’s curriculum, he said, “All of our opinions are weighed by the

administration and taken into consideration.” In partnership with the administration, the council has gotten the course registration

pushed back to March. Mrs. Freyburger said, “More college preparatory and academic level students become involved because their voice is not being

heard.” The council meets on the "rst Thursday of ev-ery month during both lunches.

1/16 vs. Trinity

1/23 @ Pinkerton

1/27 @ Nashua South

1/30 vs. Nashua South

2/3 @ Berlin

2/6 vs. Man. CentralOver Christmas break the boys hockey team won the Jim Houston Tournament, defeating St. Thomas seven to six.

Chris Prue has received his sign. Due to his dys-lexia, he was unable to take a foreign language during his time at EHS. Since most four year col-leges require some form of a foreign language, he needed another form of credit. Last year he enrolled in, and passed, American Sign Language 1 classes at Great Bay Community College. This paved the way for him to take American Sign Language 2 classes at UNH this year, and after his completion of the course in December he was able to receive college credit. Not only did he earn this credit, but taking sign language has substituted the foreign language requirement for his potential colleges. “By taking sign language I’ve noticed how it’s used in a lot of places. Before I would have never given it a second thought,” said Chris. American Sign Language will go on his transcript as Extended Learn-ing Opportunity Credit or ELO for short. But what is an ELO, and why don’t more students take part in them? To answer that question look at to-day’s job market; it is no secret that our nation’s college graduates have struggled at times to "nd a job upon their gradu-ation, due to a lack of prior work experience in their desired "eld. Today more and more col-leges o!er internships in order for their students to graduate with a resume. Thanks to Mrs. Frey-burger’s ELO, that resume can begin while en-rolled at Exeter High School. From taking dance classes, to taking sign-language, to interning at WHEB, students can earn high school credit for

what they partake in outside of the classroom. The only problem is an overwhelming popu-lation of students at EHS is unaware of the ELO program. “I would have de"nitely have taken part in one of these if I knew they existed,” said senior Joel Itkin. Even though the program has technically been a part of the curriculum since 2006, the vast ma-jority of students do not know of all the possi-bilities the program o!ers. This was mandated to the school as a part of minimum high school standards in New Hampshire. This mandate made New Hampshire public high schools pro-vide the opportunity to give students the chance to learn outside the classroom and receive some form of credit. Not only does the ELO supplement academic learning with “authentic”, real-world learning, but it also can serve as a way of credit recovery for

students that are missing a gradu-ation requirements because they have either failed a course repeated-ly or could not take a required course due to a scheduling con#ict. With a committee coming togeth-er, headed by administrators and other sta! members, to set the fu-ture guidelines for the ELO program,

it could be on its way to becoming a staple of learning at the high school. The goal of the ad-ministration is to make ELO more accessible and more popular amongst students. At this point in time, Chris is only one of three students taking part. “I want to see students learn what they seek to learn,” said Mrs. Freyburg-er. For the three students and however many fol-low them, the ELO does exactly that.

Kendra Gurney graduated in 2000 and is the coordinator of the New England Branch of The American Chestnut Foundation in South Burlington, VT. ACF was founded in 1983 to help restore the American Chestnut tree after a fungus, known as “chestnut blight,” was contracted from the United States’ importa-tion of Asian Chestnut trees in the !rst half of the 20th century.

Q. Did you go directly to college after graduating? If so, where?A. I took a year o! and moved to Colorado-then I went to UNH to graduate with a degree in Environmental Conservation Science.

Q. How did EHS prepare you for your career path?A. I guess we had support for helping with classes and post-EHS schooling.

Q. Tell me about the American Chestnut Foundation.A. The American Chestnut Foundation is a non-pro"t, working to restore the American Chestnut tree in North America. We work with a network of volunteers in a program that exists in seventeen states.

Q. Is there something you wish you could have done di!erently during your high school career?A. I probably would have done something more with an environmental science class or club. I think they were just starting an environmental club back then.

Chris Prue learned American Sign Language by taking college-level courses.

It has been 33 years since the basketball team has brought home a state title. Will this be their year to shine? Senior co-captain James Holler said, “With hard work we have potential to be a good team. For Louie [Vigars] and myself it’s our third year, so we’re expected to step up.” Hard work is exactly what the team has been showing its fans lately. The basketball team has begun each of its games with an apparent en-ergy, and has maintained that intesity for all four quarters. From the seniors to the juniors and sophomores, everybody shows up. Everyone gives it all they have got and the result is clearly seen. The gym turns into a battle"eld as the squad puts on a spectacle that leaves the fans at the edges of their seats. Most of the games have been hard fought and close, including two buzzer beaters versus Bishop Guertin and Merrimac. Although the fans love the intensity of a close match, the team would like a few more of its shots to drop. The team captains are seniors Louie Vigars, Tucker Munro, and James Holler (Louie and

James have been on the team for three years now). However, these three are not the only ones getting the boards and sinking the shots. A number of new players are making a pro-found di!erence on the court. Quinn Conner, for example, is proving himself as point guard, as is Brad Holler with his shooting ability. Addition-ally, Mike Fecteau, who just recently enrolled at EHS, is one of the varsity’s leading scorers. Though the team’s skill runs much deeper than its captains, there is no question that the captains control the court. Tucker is Exeter’s biggest player and argu-ably the hardest working. He put an incredible amount of time in the weight room and on the court during the o! season, and it shows with his presence on the court. If there was one word to describe James, it would be intense. He often leads the team in fouls, not because he is reckless, but because he

goes in hard on every play. “James is the best team defender because of his intensity,” said Quinn Conner. “He works hard and it pays o!.” As for Louie, in addition to the great shoot-ing ability he displayed from nearly half court in

last week’s game against Merrimacl, he’s been able to handle the ball well and "nd open players. And like with most teams, the group has both strengths and weaknesses. “Strength, quickness, and

getting the ball up and down the court are de"-nitely our strengths. We also have a strong work ethic,” said James. “Our weaknesses are probably rebounding because of our lack of height. We only have two or three kids over six foot three.” This season is going to be a hard fought one as the boys basketball squad sheds blood, sweat, and tears every Tuesday and Friday. Only time will tell if their hard work will be enough to carry them through the season.

JANUARY 2010

“Everyone deserves human rights; they make up who you are, and that shouldn’t be taken away from anyone,” said Kelsea Brown, president of the Free Tibet club. It all started in a class room. A project was assigned to focus on what was happening in Tibet. Kelsea and her partner, Amanda, got into the project and wanted to do more after. They researched the$Students for a Free Tibet organization$ and discovered that

there were no clubs nearby. They then decided to start one of their own, and within a week they had talked to Mr. Sokul and the Free Tibet club was formed. “I don’t really know how I jumped into helping people across the world. We started in class and I just got very passionate about it,” said Kelsea. In Tibet, people are being imprisoned for speaking out against the$ Chinese government. They are

imprisoned without a proper trial and sometimes without any actual charges. A man by the name of$ Dhondup Wangchen made a documentary called “Leaving Fear Behind,” hoping to give voices to some of the people who have had their rights taken away. Wangchen was put in jail for simply making a documentary that portrayed the Chinese government in a negative light.$ Currently, the Free Tibet club is working towards getting Wangchen out of jail. Additionally, they are getting involved in the politics of the situation by writing letters to lobbyists, who in turn try to in#uence legislation on behalf of the organization. In addition, they are trying to raise awareness locally so people can do their part to help as much as possible. Raising awareness$locally is not an easy task. To do this, Free Tibet is raising money to participate in peace walks and protests.$ Free Tibet is not just a club you join so it looks good on your college application. This club is working hard to give the people of$Tibet$a better life and create change.$$Being a part of this group doesn’t only bene"t the people of Tibet, but it can also bene"t you. After all, it feels good to help people. If people are su!ering around the world, why not help them if possible?

“Muggles welcome.” The workers of Boston’s Museum of Science greeted crowds of people, dressed in capes and hats, awaiting to see their

favorite movie series brought to life. The Harry Potter Exhibit featured through February 21st takes Muggles on a journey through Hogwarts

School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The tour starts with a guide, "tted in Hogwarts’ attire with a fake British accent, allowing two lucky Muggles to sit beneath the Sorting Hat. One evil doer goes to Slytherin, the other to Grif-fyndor. Then everyone is guided to a dark room with six television screens mapping the wall. The screens display di!erent sections of the six mov-ies before one wall of the room disappears, leav-ing fanatics aboard the train that Harry and his fellow wizards and witches ride. After this, the exhibit is a free for all. Audio tours are available for a higher cost which gives tour goers a direc-tor commentary on the items featured. Along with the costumes, both casual and formal for the main characters in each movie, there are also interactive pieces of the exhibit. A practice Quidditch target is open for children and adults alike and Hagrid’s giant chair is avail-able to sit in. The moving pictures which added to the magical feel of the exhibit were displayed around the halls of the Hogwart’s re-creation. The end of the tour features a gift shop with t-shirts, wands, maps and other memorabilia for Muggles alike. Many students from EHS have gone to see the exhibit, including senior Amelia Allwarden. “The Harry Potter exhibit is amazing. I loved seeing my favorite characters come to life,” she said. Even if you aren’t a huge fan of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, this exhibit shows you the otherworldly details of the movies and puts you up close with the wizards and witches of Hogwarts.

Kelsea Brown and Amanda Essensa founded Students for a Free Tibet earlier this year.

All signs are pointing to a resounding yes. Bass-ist Joe Geis is excited about jazz band coming back. “Jazz is unlike any other music program here; it gives us the freedom to improvise,” he said. Current band director Mr. Miles, who in the past has taken criticism for not implementing a jazz band said, “Now that our concert band is established as a quality ensemble, it’s time to ex-

pand the program.” Mr. Miles believes it is no good to have three “mediocre” ensembles. Now into his third year at Exeter High School, he has built up the concert band, then the marching band, and he felt with the quality of students he has at this point, it was time to bring jazz band back. The entire band is aware of the lofty expecta-tions he held for them; though the band’s return

will most likely not occur until March’s concert. Only time will tell how triumphant this return to the stage will be. In past years some music students who did not play a traditional concert instruments were concerned they did not have a place in the music program. Not any more: the re-incarnation of jazz band is a giant step in the right direction for providing a balanced music education to those who seek it.

AFTER A THREE YEAR HIATUS, the Exeter High School Jazz Band will be mak-ing a triumphant return. The only question that remains is will it have the "re-power that the former band director Mr. Butka’s honors jazz band brought to the stage some two and a half years ago?

International Junior Sayako Minami is not your typical Exeter High student. Her unique story and self is what di!erentiates her from most of the kids who walk the halls. She is of Asian de-scent, but more particularly, Japanese. She was born in northern Japan, and after just one year living in her homeland, her life changed forever. Sayako and her family have been on the move ever since. Sayako, one year old, moved to New York around Manhattan. She lived there for "ve years. “I don’t remember much of New York, that was when I was really little,” she said. “My younger sister was born there.” Sayako has lived many places in Asia and a couple places in America; but no matter where she is, once every year she visits her homeland. After living in New York, she moved back near

Tokyo for two years. She then moved to Hong Kong for four years. “Hong Kong is sophisticated,” she said. “It’s similar to Singapore and most peo-ple know English in there.” After Hong Kong, she moved to Singapore for two years until she moved to her current home in East Kingston. Even though Japanese is her native language, she said she “learned a lot of English while growing up.” The reason for her constant moving is of her dad’s job. “My dad works for an electrical compa-ny, which has him traveling a lot,” she said. “I re-ally hate moving around so much. It always has been hard to be the new girl at a new school, and it’s the hardest to leave all my friends be-hind when I go.” Out of all the places she’s been, Singapore is her favorite. “I have begged my parents to go

back; I love it there,” she said. “There are all types of people. There’s always something to do for kids my age. The driving age is 18, but no one drives anywhere; everyone just uses the bus or a taxi.” Moving to Singapore was also her most posi-tive transition. “There are a lot of foreign people in Singapore, so they are used to meeting new people and it was easy for me,” she said. “All the people are very friendly.” Her transition in America was much more dif-"cult. “It was hard here because I was the ‘new Asian girl’ surrounded by white people. Everyone had already grown up together. Most people as-sumed I was Chinese,” she added. She also points out that “the Asian food here in America is nothing like the food over in Asia. Here they Americanize the Asian food; I don’t even consider Japanese restaurants here Japa-nese,” she laughed. “I was culture shocked when I moved to Ameri-ca,” she said of her "rst encounter with a western lifestyle. I thought I was more American in Asia, but actually coming to America and seeing the people, I thought maybe I’m not like them after all. I don’t feel American but I don’t feel Japanese either. I feel I’m more of a cultural person,” she said. But regardless of where Sayako is living, she en-joys her experiences. “I love meeting new peo-ple from di!erent countries and cultures, I have many friends from all over the world,” she said. She is staying in New Hampshire for the rest of her high school career, But has big dreams ahead of her. “I would like to go to college in England and meet more international people,” she said. “I want to be a journalist. Math and science have never been my strong subjects but writing and the arts has always been my thing. Right now I am learning Spanish.”

JANUARY 2010

Every weekend they pack their bags and are on the slope by$Friday night. There are those that race competitively and those that just go for fun; but all sacri"ce a number of things for their time on the slopes. There are several months during the year in which thousands of people devote their time and money to$ downhill skiing$ and snowboarding. For many, this recreational sport becomes a lifestyle in the winter. When the snow hits the ground, they hit the slopes. “I miss out on sleepovers with my friends from school,” said Emily Sakovits, a sophomore down-hill ski$ racer for both the school ski team and the$Cranmore Mountain racing$team. “Once ski-ing starts I barely see them.” Emily and her fellow racers not only have to dedicate their weekends to the slopes, but also several days of the week. “I go skiing about four times a week. I have training$on Saturdays and Sundays, but then I also have night training$on Tuesdays$and Thursdays,” said freshman Brooke Kelleher, another ski racer on the school’s team. She also competitively races for Gunstock. In order to go skiing or snowboarding this much, sacri"cing your free time isn’t enough. You have

to pay for the$lift tickets, equipment and also the lodging, which all together can add up to a sig-ni"cant chunk of change. For a season pass one could spend anywhere from 400 to 800 dollars. To ski at Cranmore Mountain in North Conway, one of the closest mountains with the best skiing, a season pass is exactly $339. For someone who isn’t a hardcore skier and doesn’t want to ski as much as a season pass allows, it is $49 a day for someone under 18. Another popular mountain amongst students is Sug-arloaf in Maine. To ski here a season pass is $899, but its typically seen as being worth the price. “Sugarloaf is my favorite mountain$ because it’s big, has a great$ terrain park$and it always has sick conditions,” said Erica Estey. To ski here for only a day would be around $60. Gunstock Mountain is another highly pop-ular ski resort, with season passes at $409 and day passes at $54. If you are really into skiing and don’t mind a signi"cant traveling, Vail Mountain in Colorado has it all. While much pricier than the local mountains 3 days of skiing is $237 and is well worth the price to pay for such an outstand-

ing mountain. But the tab doesn’t end here. “I get two new pairs of skis each year, one for racing and the other for just regular skiing. It can get pretty expensive,” said Brooke. For a pair of skis it can be about $700 to almost $1,000. Snowboards are not as pricey as skis, costing around $500 to $800. Countless people like Brooke willingly pay the money for the latest gear and a season pass to a favorite mountain, but for people who might

not be as dedicated to the sport, don’t let the cost turn you o! from skiing or snowboarding. It’s the thrill of #ying downward on a steep mountain, or zig-zagging

down with friends that keeps so many students and their families coming back to the mountain at every possible chance. These kids absolutely love what they do, and can’t think of any bet-ter way to spend their winter other than on the slopes. “I don’t know what I would do in the winter if I didn’t ski. There’s never been a year when I haven’t gone,” said Emily. Some even get jobs working at mountains; they just can’t leave.

Freshman Brooke Kelleher races down Gunstock Mountain.

The New England Association of Secondary Schools & Colleges (NEASSC) visits schools that wish to be accredited every ten years. EHS is under-going the process again this year, the "rst time in the new building, after being accredited in 2000. Ten years ago EHS had several high and low points in its accreditation report, which were meant to be evaluated. This process brought to light the school’s strength’s and weaknesses, and provided EHS with a clear list on what needed to be improved upon. The "rst major problem was the state of the school building before the new building was built in 2006, the lack of space for storage it pro-vided, and the sports "eld all of which were in poor conditions. The problems with the schools facility allowed for our new school to be built, speci"cally with the NEASSC recommendations in mind, alleviating those issues for the accredi-tation this year. This gave way to each hallway storage and janitorial space and building our plethora of new "elds. Secondly the people from NEASSC asked that the school would do more to integrate technol-ogy into the school wherever they could. Along with our new school came the new technol-ogy built into our classrooms; our computer labs, thin clients, projectors, and even library media center were built with the accreditation in mind. The projectors have been bene"cial to many teachers and really allowed them to expand their curriculum, although the thin cli-

the student body is that of applying real world applications to the classroom, in order to answer the age old question, ‘when WILL I ever use this stu!?’ The way in which to apply real world appli-cations in school has always been through SST; however, the EHS curriculum has changed since the last accreditation in order to insist that teach-ers allow real world concepts to enter the class-room. But there is no way to determine what the

ents have proved to be more trouble than they were worth for many. Because of the advancing technology EHS has available, the bene"ts were exempli"ed by the recent Skype class Monsieur Battey organized. There was a sit-in for French students on December 17th for an hour span-ning, through periods 2 and 4, where the class had a video chat with another class in France. Al-though there were some technical di%culties to start, this technology was very eye-opening for some students. Still some teachers don’t utilize the technology because of their course subject and the technology sits unused; so although it’s great that technology can be integrated into our school life now, it shouldn’t have been intro-duced to every classroom. Another recommendation from NEASSC was for EHS to “develop and implement a process to ensure that each student in the school has an adult member of the school community who serves to personalize that student’s educational experience.” In order to give each student an adult to personalize their school life, a “freshman advisory” was in the "rst year of the new school, where freshmen were given the chance to meet with a teacher and about eight other students to talk about whatever they wanted. This plan was eventually put on hold, until it could be con"g-ured to allow this for all four grades. Therefore this recommendation from NEASSC has not yet found a permanent solution. The last issue that is important to share with

Every ten years, Exeter High School chooses to become reaccredited, a process in which the

school is evaluated on seven standards. These standards include Community Resources,

School Resources, and Leadership and Organization. The other four areas are the

most important: Mission and Expectations, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment.

Every standard leads back to the Mission and Expectations area, because the o"cial goal

of the school is to meet its mission statement, and the goal of the reaccreditation process is

to determine if the school’s goal is met. The process is split into three steps which

collectively last for eighteen months. The !rst step is self-evaluation, in which the school

gathers data from student, teacher, and parent surveys. The second step consists of a team of teachers from other school districts in New England visiting EHS for three and a half days to con!rm that the data gathered

from the school’s self-evaluation is valid. The team also recommends actions for the

school to take in order to improve. In the third and !nal step, professional educators from

the Commission of Public Secondary Schools (CPSS) visit EHS to view the results of the pre-vious two steps. If they validate these results,

then the reaccreditation process is done and the school is free to work on meeting

their new goals for the next reaccreditation process in eight and a half years.

people from NEASSC will decide is credible as truly "xed and bene"cial in their report. EHS was recognized in the report last time for having strong school spirit in students and fac-ulty. The compassionate, knowledgeable faculty and the reduced class sizes were also noted as a positive change. As EHS has always been known, it was given commendations for his multiplicity of school programs and extensive list of extra-curricular activities as well. Hopefully these posi-tive aspects of EHS will be recognized again in the coming accreditation.

During the reaccredidation process, subcommittees meet to analyze and target areas of

improvement.

JANUARY 2010

Most students would jump at the idea of per-sonal laptops being used in Exeter High School; it’s an idea that has been bene"cial to several other schools. A plan to switch to laptops would require a large initiative from students, faculty and the school board. However, Exeter High School could bene"t from this movement. Why? Some schools have tried di!erent laptop pro-grams and soon ended them due to the stu-dents taking advantage of the privilege, and di!erent technical problems getting in the way of the learning environment. For most schools that have trialed personal computers, it seems that when each student has their own laptop, they are motivated to do homework and turn in assignments in a more timely fashion. While teachers lecture, students "nd it bene"cial to type their notes rather than write them out, and one laptop is much easier than carrying around a plethora of books and binders.

Laptops in high school are a controversial issue, but o!er signi"cant advantages. USA Today re-ported the story of a South Dakota high school that ran a pilot series of 70 random students us-ing personal computers. The study showed that attendance levels rose and grade-point averages of those with lap-tops was signi"cantly higher than those without. High schools using laptops can use them for quizzes, animation, writing and graphing so they are available for use in every class (and decrease grading work for teachers). If EHS adopted a pro-gram that allowed each student an issued laptop, it would allow for a better #ow of information between students and teach-ers. The majority of students know the basics of computer use or have their own laptop; this type of program would simply allow those ben-

e"ts for every student. The system would "nan-cially work if the majority of students could sup-ply their own personal laptops. Only a small fraction of the students would be eligible for school "nancial aid to buy their com-puter; granted that laptops are not as expensive as they used to be and could actually be attain-able by the school board. Many critics, like those at the New York Times, argue that students would use computers for personal use, but if connected to the high

school’s network, proxy blocks would still be enabled to block You-Tube, Facebook and other unrelated sites. Cheating is also seen as one is-sue that would grow massively with the in#ux of computers, but if they were not allowed during tests, and were held in full view during quiz-zes, then teachers could monitor their students.

Laptops would allow students to excel in school, and with grants and school board ap-proval, laptops could be funded, and our school could make signi"cant progress in utilizing tech-nology.

On Thursday November 6th, Todd Crandell was a guest speaker in the auditorium for periods four and six. To many, the name Todd Crandell is virtually unknown, but to others he is truly an inspiration. Crandell battled drug and alcohol ad-diction for thirteen years of his life. He almost lost everything, and with persistence and courage he rebuilt his life, and eventually became an Iron Man participant with his own recovery program; Racing for Recovery. Anyone who has a story of courage to tell gains a high level of respect from the EHS crowd and Crandell’s story was no dif-ferent The students seemed to "nd Crandell’s presentation empowering and interesting from the questions they were asking at the end of the presentation. The opinions from the students of Crandell’s presentation were varied but the pre-sentation had a strong e!ect overall. Crandell’s message was not to show the student body that even if you become and an addict that you can overcome it one day and become an iron man; the message was to show the students how much drug and alcohol addiction can harm you and truly how hard it is to bounce back. Al-though Crandell did focus on the terrible e!ects that drugs and alcohol had on his life, he focused more on the aspect of Racing for Recovery. The details about the horrors of addiction seemed

somewhat lacking. Parts of the presentation focused too much on where Crandell stands in his life at the moment; happily married with children, an Iron Man, and running a full-time re-covery program. Todd Crandell has an amazing life story, but his presentation was lacking scare tactics. Unfortunately, scare tactics are the only true way to get across to students the true hor-rors of drug and alcohol addiction. The school almost needs a guest speaker who is a walking advertisement in the present of the harmful ef-fects of drugs and alcohol addiction, so students

can truly see what it does to a person. Todd Crandell’s story is extraordinary to many, and the story of his life leaves the lis-tener with the option to form their own personal opinions about his presentation. Some may look at Mr. Crandell’s life story and say the inspiration he ignites in students through his tales is enough to have people turn their lives around in an in-stant and better themselves for the future. Junior Maggi Hanson was very moved by Crandell’s sto-ries, and explains his presentation as being “"lled with inspiration that was very real and quite interesting at the same time. Crandell’s stories seemed aimed at warning students about the horrors of addiction.” Whatever your perception was of Mr. Crandell’s presentation, it was under-stood by many that he was an incredible speaker with an intriguing story to tell.

Todd Crandell spoke to Exeter students about his battle with

drugs and alcohol.

Four years ago, Mike Moore left the halls of Exeter High School, destined to share his music with the world. However, at the moment, he and his band mates are most concerned with the greater Boston area. Fire In The Field, a rock and roll band containing Moore, on guitar, and three other Exeter Alumni John Santarelli, Jaime Bag-shaw, and Je! Badolato, who all came together in the summer of 2006. Moore describes his band mates quite colorfully. Santarelli is the “man-child” they usually had on a chain in the parking lot where he couldn’t harm anybody,” he said. “Badolato hailed from the upperclassmen ranks.” Moore has many fond memories of his high school days; when asked of his favorite memory, he recalls “showing up to senior social in full-on Luke Skywalker garb. My girlfriend sported the Princess Leia hairdo and white dress.” Each member of the band carries di!erent re-sponsibilities. Moore calls himself the “"re start-er” of the group when it comes to writing their music, and said that he and the drummer “hash out the structure of the tunes. Bass and vocals come in later to add their ingredients.” Moore and Santarelli also pioneer the establishment of a fan base. Santarelli is described by Moore as a “marksmen of sorts when working with comput-ers,” which gives them a large internet following.

Fire In The Field released its "rst self-titled album in February of last year and sold out Bill’s Bar in Boston. Moore said, “The energy was at its peak and we brought the house down with our per-formance.” Although there is no full length tour yet, they hope to eventually hit the road. Fire In The Field has performed at multiple venues in the area; Moore’s favorite includes The Paradise in Boston. It was their largest audience in one of the best clubs in the city. “It was like a taste of some exotic wonderland,” Moore exclaimed, “a di!erent world we only got a sixty-minute whi! of, graced by the Gods.” Moore says his favorite song, the instrumental track “Soledad,” allows for a di!erent sound every night. However, listening to their own tracks can be a tough personal experience for the band. “When recording is complete it’s great to listen because you are psyched about the sounds you got; but now when I listen to it I hear mistakes and pitfalls to learn from,” said Moore.

The real story, however, is how Mike Moore got into this life. “I had a passion that was undeni-able, as prepubescent and misguided as it was at the time, but I knew it was right for me,” he said. Moore loves rock and roll simply because there are no rules. “It’s pure "ction for your mind to play with and make a story out of.” Moore did attend college, however, and attained his busi-ness degree when he graduated last spring. He believes that the degree gives him more options in the way it allows for more guided entrepre-neurial actions. He knew going into school that he would have a di%cult challenge balancing music and education, but successfully complet-ed his four years. Mike Moore has spent over a decade dedicat-ing his life to music, and is proud of his accom-plishments thus far. Fire in the Field’s self-titled debut album is available on iTunes and www.myspace.com/"reinthe"eld.

Two years ago, a group of EHS students attempt-ed to organize a "lm contest called Operation Smile. For reasons we still don’t understand, only one "lm was submitted and the contest had to be cancelled. This year, Kelsea Brown and the Free Tibet Club hope to revive this contest by changing its name, allowing any genre of "lm, using the admission fees as donations, and hav-ing prizes for the winning "lms. The club is having a movie night in the au-ditorium this January, which will have a small

admission fee. The admission cost will all go to the club and its cause. The movie night will also be for raising awareness for the "lm contest as there will also be a short teaser played before the movie. Students will be given a sign"cant amount of time to get their creative juices #ow-ing because the deadline for submissions isn’t until spring. There will be a small submission fee for "lms which has not yet been determined. This year’s contest will allow students to sub-mit any form of "lm work (school appropriate,

of course). The group also would like to stress that students should not let their equipment deter them from submitting a "lm. Films will be judged solely on their creativity, acting, and abil-ity to tell a story. Once the submission deadline is up, all of the "lms will be shown and judged in the auditorium. The submission fees and ad-mission fees will be divided amongst the Free Ti-bet Club and the winning "lms. All students are encouraged to submit their original work. Who knows, you might win!

Mike Moore and the crew of Fire in the Fields teamed up in 2006.

JANUARY 2010

ince the beginning of time, students have entered classrooms and the "rst "ve minutes has been dedicated to tak-ing attendance.

Teachers have wasted quality time screaming out names, while more often than not, the stu-dents are socializing and completely disregard-ing the teacher’s e!orts to complete a simple task. But with the new technology throughout the school, why not simplify this process? For decades, teachers have struggled to successful-ly complete this task without making mistakes. These mistakes often lead to student-adminis-trator disputes over whether or not a student skipped a class, and with the new attendance policy, a skipped class could ultimately be the deciding factor in whether or not a student fails the course. In addition, students in grades nine through eleven who choose to have a study hall, often spend a quality piece of time just try-ing to sign out to their chosen destination. This is why I am taking the attendance process back to the drawing board. The most e!ective way to take attendance and sign students in and out of study halls should

not involve a ranting teacher, but rather a sys-tem similar to the one in the cafeteria. Each class could have a card system. As the students "le into the classroom they swipe their student identi"cation through a little machine similar to the ones in the cafeteria. The machine would not only mark the student for being in class, but also record the time the student signed in. By recording the time, it takes the hassle of remem-bering who was late for class and who was on time, out of the picture. In addition, the machine could have a touch screen on it for study halls. Instead of students lining up at the door of a classroom waiting to tell the teacher where they are going, the stu-dent could enter the classroom, swipe his card, choose his destination, and be on his way. In-tegrating a method such as this one, would not only help students and teachers use their free periods more e%ciently, but could also save li-brarians and teachers on cafeteria duty the has-sle of trying to "gure out where each student is, and whether or not he has an honors pass or not. This system could also be very helpful for ad-

ministrators. If the system had the capability of recording the students’ swipe history, adminis-trators would no longer have to deal with dis-putes over whether or not a student was tardy for more than three times for a class. It also takes away the potential teacher mistake of marking a student absent, when he is in fact there. Finding a student would no longer be an issue as well. If an administrator had the capability of bring-ing up a student’s account, he or she could "nd the student without having to look up his or her schedule. In a school already "lled with technology, transforming the already #awed attendance process into an e%cient computer generated one, makes the most sense. It would not only help teachers and students, but it would allow the entire day to run on a smoother schedule. It would also help put the student identi"cation cards to use, and force students to carry them around with them. As Exeter has recently been updating its tech-nology on a regular basis, taking the next step in speeding up the attendance process seems to make the most sense.

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The number of extra-curricular activities offered at Exeter High School.PG. 21

Why one trillion dollars is of any matter to high school students.

PG. 19

It is a common stereotype that girls are safe drivers, while boys are dangerous and fast. Sta-tistics do show that teenage men get into more accidents than teenage girls do, mostly due to reckless driving and speeding (MSN.autos.com). Obviously, this is not true for everybody, but it is a common enough pattern to make car insur-ance companies raise boys’ insurance rates high-er than girls’, at least until the age of 25. While safety is key, this does not mean that girls are “better” drivers. In fact, I believe it is the opposite; men are the winners when it comes to driving. Sure, guys have a general tendency to drive more dangerously than girls do, but this does not necessarily make girls the better drivers. A problem arises when the phrase “better driver” is used, because “better” can constitute di!er-ent things to di!erent people. One may think that “better” signi"es “safer”, while another may

think it means how well a driver can react to circumstances on the road. In order to be fair and clear, a “better” driver is, in this case, a “more composed” driver. An overall composed driver is calm and safe, while also possessing the ability to react quickly in dangerous situations. Boys are much more relaxed than girls while driving. Teenage girls already put outrageous levels of stress on themselves anyways, and the trend doesn’t stop once they get in their car. Any little thing could set them o!: another car cut-ting them o! or hitting a pothole that messes up their mascara application. I’m not making fun of you, ladies, it’s just that you have a tendency to turn little situations into large ones (moun-tains out of molehills, if you will). To us guys, as long as we or our cars (especially my beautiful Buick) aren’t hurt, it’s no big deal. The results of a recent poll among male students at EHS further support this idea, as 84% responded with boys being more relaxed while on the road. Being relaxed connects to another component of being a composed driver: the ability to react quickly and e%ciently when presented with a dangerous situation. While it is rather di%cult to gain experience in this area without being ei-ther a stuntman or a racecar driver, boys are just

more inclined to possess these natural instincts. In a precarious scenario, an ordinary guy can be-come a hero with some quick decisions and a few hair-trigger twitches of the hands. A girl…would not handle it so well: guys de"nitely have the advantage when it comes to quickly reading and reacting to dangerous situations. When it comes to safety, however, girls take the cake by a landslide. Sorry, guys, literally ev-erything is against us, including statistics on nearly every type of tra%c violation pointing the "nger of blame at the men. Besides being statis-tically proven, it is easy to see how boys are more reckless drivers than women once you’re in the car with one. We have a propensity to speed, whether it’s through the “Point of No Return” in an intersection, on the highway, in the driveway, in the parking lot, on the back roads, on the front roads, on bridges, under bridges…you get the point. Let’s face it: for the better, women are safer. The male students at EHS know it, too, as thirty-eight out of "fty said that women are safer drivers. Well men, it’s a victory, although it isn’t very sat-isfying. While I can safely say that guys are more reliable behind the wheel, we need to take our feet o! the gas pedal from now on.

For many people, seeing females behind the wheel is a scary concept. However, as a licensed teenaged girl for the past two years (a long time, I know), I have to believe that girls are the more composed gender behind the wheel. For teen-agers driving is a privilege, and we must learn the rules and abide by them. Female drivers are more composed than male drivers because they allow safer, less aggressive habits and as Senior Kristin Palladino said, “we act more cautiously and share the road.”

Teens interviewed admitted to eating, texting, talking, applying makeup and brushing up on homework behind the wheel. While this may make it seem that girls are not so safe while driv-ing, we are more apt to leave a larger distance between cars and to stay the speed limit. Girls interviewed agreed that we would be less likely to cause an accident. Even insurance policies acknowledge that we are superior. Insurance companies, including research from OnStar, All State Insurance and Progressive Insurance state that girls more often wear their seatbelts, stay the speed limit and drive fewer miles than their male counterparts, and thus charge lower fees for teenage girls because of they have less ag-gression on the road, meaning fewer accidents. Only for drivers between the ages of sixteen and twenty-"ve do insurance policies di!er because

during these years girls are determined to be safer. Insurance may be a complicated process to get through, but with their di!erent rebates for honor students and multiple drivers, the dif-ference between a son or a daughter behind the wheel can save parents hundreds of dollars. The key to this debate is an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Girls are more likely to prevent an accident from occurring, simple as that. Both genders face the same distrac-tions while driving. No matter who is behind the wheel, the driver’s main focus should be the road; not their cell phone, ipod, food or friends. Girls are more composed behind the wheel be-cause they drive more cautiously and prevent accidents from occurring, leaving them the win-ner in the duel between male and female driv-ers.

JANUARY 2010

million millions. This number sim-ply exceeds the brain’s capacity. It is remarkable to conceive that the United States owes foreign govern-

ments this amount of money. Each person in our generation will be forced to pick up the "nancial burden and pay back the de"cit. In other words: We are screwed. George H. W. Bush exclaimed in his inaugura-tion speech in 1989 that “national debt is the cancer of America.” Despite this, recent presi-dential administrations have spent so much that the de"cit has reached trillions of dollars. Put in exact amount. This habit of reckless spend-ing has manifested in our newly elected presi-dent Barack Obama, who has already set record spending amounts. This spending, as denied by many Democratic politicians, will have dire con-sequences on the economy and society. Obama plans on spending $12 trillion dollars by the end of his term. However, such a sum of money won’t be covered by tax revenues- Obama has cut taxes for 95% of Americans. To gather up the trillions of dollars needed for the massive spending increase, the U.S. has bor-rowed “money” from other countries. That is, we employ their resources in exchange for an I.O.U. card set for sometime in the future. As a result of spending way beyond our means, the U.S. has borrowed huge sums of money and is indebted to numerous foreign countries expecting to be paid back at a point in the future. Even though over a decade of annual debt has accumulated and foreign governments reap a hefty stack of

IOU’s, these countries have faith in America to pay this money back in full. The money we borrowed is being spent on things with no return on investment (ROI), such as the war in the Middle East or massive bureau-cratic expansion such as the Department of Edu-cation. Bailing out banks, such as AIG, costs $170 billion, and its anyone’s guess whether AIG will be able to pay it back. Even the economic stimu-lus package of $787 billion has no guaranteed ROI. The government simply funds particular "rms to save the jobs of special interest groups- such spending will not stimulate the economy. Obama’s administration has willfully ignored history in deciding to ‘"x’ the economy with government spending. Keynesian economics has proven time after time to be a faulty "s-cal policy - yet we are currently pursuing it on a scale 8 times bigger than that of the New Deal in the 1930’s. By basic macroeconomic principle, government cannot spend its way out of a recession. However, with the Demo-crats in charge, they can certainly try. Just how bad is the economy? A convenient method to measure the economy’s health is by employing the Misery Index, a system created by economist Arthur Okun. It is found simply by adding the unemployment rate to the in#ation rate. Bush left o%ce with a 7.63 rating, the lowest in 45 years. Obama has been in o%ce only 150 days and it has already increased to 8.12- due

to his faulty Keynesian strategy. After printing an additional $3 trillion dollars, it won’t be long before the rating breaks into double digits- stay posted.(If you are measuring the e!ects of Obama’s eco-nomic recovery e!orts, you can’t compare stats from before the collapse to now – that doesn’t ensure the e!ects of his e!ort. You have to com-pare from the time the stimulus e!orts began till now.) The most worrisome side e!ect of the govern-ment’s spending is an economic disaster called “hyperstag#ation”. Printing the dollars Obama is demanding will certainly in#ate the dollar; it is possible that the in#ux of printed bills will be so great that the dollar becomes worthless. As a result of slow economic growth, in#ation will be accompanied by high unemployment and general stagnation. Such a state will collapse the

economy and surely result in an economic depres-sion. Though it was reck-less spending that created the housing bubble and caused the consequent

recession, government continues to spend and print no matter how risky it may be. My fellow students, be wary of anyone older than 35. They are vigorously spending our future dollars and thereby ensuring the national debt will be so large that just paying the interest on the debt will amount to over $120,000 per per-son. It’s too late to turn back now; prepare your-self for a desperate future.

Cancer had never really made a big impact in my life until June 2006. It was supposed to be the perfect year. My older sister was graduat-ing high school; I was starting in the brand-new high school building in the fall. Everything was great. When I learned that my aunt had breast cancer, everything changed. My family and I are almost uncomfortably close, so the diagnosis touched each and every one of us. In the days and weeks following her diagnosis, I couldn’t help but feel mixed emo-tions. I was sad one moment, and then the next moment, I was enraged. She was not supposed to get cancer. She was perfectly healthy, worked out at the local gym, and made sure my cousins ate all

their vegetables. She was (and still is) completely health-food conscious. I thought, “Why her? Why not someone else?” Before I left to spend my summer vacation with my dad, her hair had started coming out in big clumps. It was "nally time to shave most of her dark brown, curly, shoulder-length hair. The "rst time she showed me her new hairstyle, I was shocked. I didn’t know what to say. Finally, I turned away and excused myself to the other room to put myself together. That will be a day I remember for the rest of my life. I received weekly to bi-weekly reports of her chemotherapy and radiation treatments while I was away, which were both heart-wrenching and, amazingly positive. In fact, she remained

positive throughout her entire treatment, prayed frequently, and attended Daily Mass at our local church. She still kept up her daily health regimen and helped her kids with their homework when school started back up in late August. Although she was a bit fatigued, she still acted as if the dis-ease never happened. In late January, mid February of 2007, my aunt received a phone call. She had been o!ered a job at her old school, as a Spanish teacher. She quickly hopped on board and over two years later, is doing what she loves. The cancer diagnosis has not stopped her. She is still the same religious/health nut that I know and love. I am proud to say that Virginia Carmo-dy is my aunt and my hero.

Remember waking up at 7:00 on Saturday morn-ings, grabbing a heaping bowl of Frosted Flakes and plopping yourself on the couch to watch four straight hours of your favorite Disney and Nickelodeon television shows? What happened to the good ol’ days? If you still go straight to channel 24 or 25 when you turn on your television (something most people would be afraid to admit,) you would be able to see that the shows today are just incom-parable to the 90’s shows of our childhood. Back in the day, Nickelodeon was always the chan-nel to provide some good comedy and Disney channel always provided the real life hard-hit-ting after-school specials. But now both Nick-elodeon and Disney fail to meet the standards of their previous series. Their focus on scripted comedies and cartoons with no relevance what-soever is a large benefactor in television’s de-creasing worth. Nickelodeon was always famous for their kids sketch comedy. A Saturday Night Live sort for the younger set. The Amanda Show, which

starred Amanda Bynes, was always a source of random but hilarious humor. Some slogans of the show included “I like eggs” and “Maaa Haa,” from sketches that include Judge Trudy, Block-blister, The Girl’s room, Moody’s Point, Penelope Taynt (who was actually Amanda in disguise), hillbilly moment, and totally Kyle. Who could forget the priceless cast of All That. “Welcome to Good Burger. Home of the Good Burger. Can I take your order?” Nickelodeon’s very own classic ran for ten seasons, "lling homes with characters like Principal Pimple, SuperDude and PizzaFace. A spino! of All That gave America Kenan and Kel. Kenan Rockmore and Kel Kimble were the funniest friends on T.V. Kenan had a job at a local grocery store and Kel just loved orange soda. The show always started and ended with Kenan and Kel interacting with the studio audi-ence on stage. The show was always "lled hilari-ous sketches involving Kenan’s family. One of the more memorable qualities of the show is Kel’s catchphrases; “Awww here it goes,” which he an-nounced at the end of every show and scene.

Game shows are still popular today, but the ones created in the 90s were aimed towards kids and are still beloved today. Some of these include Figure it Out, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Global Guts, and Double Dare 2000. We can’t forget to include our favorite brother and sister duo on Even Stevens. Or the cartoon con-science of Lizzie McGuire. An entire article could be dedicated to the seasons of friendship, love and family of Boy Meets World. Who doesn’t miss the days when Doug al-ways had Skeeter by his side, Syd and Reggie from Rocket Power had always won the skate-boarding competitions, CatDog always left you trying to "gure out if there was such a mutant pet. Are You Afraid of the Dark? Always left you with your closet light on, Hey Arnold always left you hating Helga and loving Eugene. So Weird strengthened your belief in Aliens. Now, we drowned in pools of square sponges, pop stars su!ering from duel personality disorder, and "ve minute spino!s of penguins from Africa. What happened?

JANUARY 2010 Originally published in Parade

It can be argued as to why students don’t have a larger say in the matter of how well the school is progressing. After every reaccreditation process, the school receives recommendations from evaluators in order to draft goals for im-proving itself. Sure, the students are given sur-veys every time the process rolls around again, but how is progress supposed to be measured if each survey is completed by a di!erent genera-tion of students? Think about it: in the 1999-2000 school year, the classes of ’00, ’01, ’02, and ’03 took the reaccredi-tation survey. The next survey was this year, with the classes of ’10, ’11, ’12, and ’13 participating. Clearly, there is no overlap, meaning that every reaccreditation process (every 10 years) surveys a completely new batch of students. While this data is helpful to the school, EHS could obtain much more useful opinions on how well the school is improving if they also conducted more surveys on student, parent, and teacher satisfac-tion over a more frequent period of time.

This is how it would work: at the end of ev-ery school year, the freshman class would take a survey on how well they think the school is doing in terms of qualities such as teaching, safety, technology. Then, at the end of the next school year, they would partake in a follow-up survey which would directly ask if they thought these same qualities were improving from last year, staying the same, or declining. The surveys would continue through senior year, where stu-dents would be asked if they felt the school ad-equately helped them prepare for college. Stu-dents could provide speci"c feedback as to ways in which Exeter High School could improve. Students do not have an adequate voice in re-gards to how the school is improving. We have high-quality technology, good teaching, vast options for courses, and a clean facility. But what we don’t have is an education shaped around its original purpose: educating students most e!ectively. How can students be provided with a quality education if they can o!er no feed-

back as to which ways they learn best and what educational approaches are most successful. Students of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities should be questioned as to their views on what the school needs to work on and what is being done well. Response would provide a wealth of feedback on teaching, school facilities, disci-pline, and every other aspect of a public second-ary education. Feedback would directly re#ect the opinions of students who are currently being educated at the high school. While the results would be more useful for the school in order for it to im-prove itself, it would also help in the reaccredi-tation process by providing continuous student feedback rather than every ten years. No mat-ter what is eventually done in order to further educational standards, the focus should always be on the students’ needs. For the nine years in between, student feedback is essential in im-proving the quality of education and allowing students to reach their potential.

All the posters lining the walls of the halls as you walk down to lunch can be a little overwhelm-ing. With Exeter High School’s 53 extra-curricular activities, I think it’s time to add to the list! So for anyone who wants to join, we’re starting a Pizza Club. If you want to hang out after-school and eat pizza with your friends, this is the club for you! Each week we’ll discuss the quality of the pizza from di!erent places and what sodas go best with what pizzas. Texting Club has also now started; participants will sit in the cafeteria and text each other back and forth. Other activities will include searching the school for the best cell-phone service. An exclusive group for freshmen called the Freshmen Placement Club has been founded. This group is where freshmen collaborate and decide where the most annoying place to stop

in the hall would be. Their ultimate mission is to annoy upper-classmen by getting in the way be-tween classes. Imaginary Travels Club involves discussion on places that students would like to go, but noth-ing is ever done to go there, this club is meant for daydreamers. Shopping Tips Debate Club’s debate this week will be on the best way to tackle Christmas shop-ping, with show-and-tell from Black Friday. Twilight Club has "nally commenced and the discussion this week will revolve around what to do with the non-believers and a competition be-tween Team Jacob and Edward. Anyone who owns an I-pod should join I-pod Club, where the I-pod shu&e game will be played in the cafeteria with large groups of people.

People Making Statements Club is where we yell about what we feel strongly about and then get annoyed because nothing is happening. The Academic Search for Success Club meets in the library most days after school to not talk and do homework. In the Students Helping Incompetent Teachers Club the students do not actually help teachers but complain about them with other students. The newest after-school group is the For Uni-versity/College Knowledge Club where students struggle with their future schooling decisions and get the support and information they need. So although some groups at EHS "ght for good causes, and are trying to help make the world a better place; there may be some that we don’t necessarily need. Though you should try out all of these clubs!

destruction. We as the human species have developed many habits that could be con-sidered “destructive” but continue to remain relatively short-sighted with our actions to inhibit those activities. Instead our eyes fall upon 2012 and the predicted doom that will come with it. But will humanity and the well-being of our planet Earth come at a predetermined judgment day, at random or possibly at our-own design?

In the incredibly distant future, Earth is guaranteed death. It is inevitable that ei-ther our planet will be swallowed up by the sun as it expands further into the so-lar system or it will be frozen or crunched as a result of the theorized “Big Freeze” or “Big Crunch.” As far as expansion of the sun goes, this gigantic !reball will continue to grow for approximately 10 billion more years until it begins losing mass, ultimately turning into a white dwarf star. Presently the sun is a yellow, middle-aged star at about 4.5 billion years old, and in about 7.6 billion years will expand far enough into the solar system to kill all life on Earth. As far as the “Big Crunch” and “Big Freeze” go,

"e desire to know the unknown has driv-en our species for millennia, allowing us to travel across oceans and launching our-selves into space. But as much as it draws us to complete feats of endurance and intelli-gence it also draws us to the thought of our

after many years of the Hubble telescope measuring the consistent expansion of the universe it was determined that the cosmos is destined to undergo one of these two as-tronomical phenomena. "e “Big Crunch” is the idea that the universe will continue expanding until its density exceeds the maximum density its gravity can withstand, therefore resulting in a massive collapse of the universe that would “crunch” back in on itself. "e “Big Freeze” is the idea that the universe will continue expanding, as it is today, for in!nity. "e problem with this is that galaxies will move farther and farther apart, and it is theorized that lone stars, solar systems, and planets within so-lar systems will also move farther and far-ther apart. If this happens stars will be too far away from planets to provide su#cient heat required to maintain life, and so every-thing would be frozen. "ese two theories are not predicted to happen for billions of years, but it is still a mystery as to when and which one is going to happen, and will it happen before the sun has already killed o$ life on Earth?

Global warming currently receives a great deal of media attention because it is said to cause immense environmental damage, but will it end life on Earth? First, for those

Ancient Assyrians predict nearing doomsday because of many moral failures in society.

Millerites gather on hilltop to welcome Jesus. Becomes known as the “Great Disappointment”

who do not believe in global warming, to their inconvenience, it is happening… it’s the truth. Second, it is happening at an considerable rate and e$ects, such as melt-ing polar ice caps, are beginning to become noticeable. "e major fear is that Earth’s fresh water will vanish due to the rising global temperature and people worldwide will die of thirst. "is is certainly a plau-sible outcome, but becomes a less likely sce-nario as more and more is done to combat global warming. Within the next century it is a safe bet that we will be beyond petro-leum and will use little, if any, coal burning plants for energy. "ese being the current, major contributors to global warming, once eliminated it is likely that global tempera-tures will rise at a much slower rate. Addi-tionally in the unlikely scenario some areas of the globe experience major death due to lack of water, there would certainly be no global extinction. "e power of controlling global warming rests in the hands of our species. If we work hard to prevent it we will be okay, but if we do nothing we could be in trouble. Aliens! Will they be good, will they be bad, or do they even exist? "e likelihood that there is another habitable planet in the galaxy, let alone the universe, is extremely high and the likelihood of an intelligent species living on one of these planets is also likely. "e dilemma, however, is do they have the technology capable of propelling them at light speed through space, and why would they stop by Earth? If some super

alien space ship dropped into Earth’s orbit and began shooting the planet, we could be in trouble, but aliens are probably not going to visit anytime soon, let alone purposely destroy our species War of the Worlds style. If alien contact did end human life on Earth, a more reasonable way would be an accidental release of a foreign pathogen into the atmosphere, which may or may not have the potential to end human life on Earth. "is being said, one would believe that if aliens had the technology to travel light years through space to reach Earth, that they would be smart enough to con-sider the possibility that they might carry diseases that humans are not immune to. A much more likely scenario than an alien pathogen would be an arti!cially cre-ated or a natural pathogen that causes a global pandemic, wiping out our species. "ere have been many diseases in human history that have killed large percentages of our population. Most famously, the Black Plague killed one third of Europe’s popu-lation during the medieval ages. So how much longer before a new plague kills all human life on Earth? Unlike several hun-dred years ago during the time of the Black Plague, today there are vaccines, advanced medicines, and better prevention methods nowadays so that people are better protect-ed from disease. A species-ending natural pathogen would be very rare to come by, but perhaps an arti!cially made one would not be. A perfect example depicting this is the movie I Am Legend where while trying to !nd a cure for cancer, a doctor acciden-tally created a pathogen that almost ended humanity. Although a pandemic ending

human life on Earth would be very rare, it is de!nitely plausible. When someone mentions meteors and life ending catastrophes in the same breath, dinosaurs are usually the !rst thing that come to mind. "is is because the largest dinosaur extinction came from a meteor that smashed into the Earth’s crust shoot-ing ash high into the atmosphere where it lingered for years blocking out almost all sunlight. So who is to say that will not happen again? It is very likely that a mete-or impact yielding similar e$ects as the one during the dinosaur era will occur again, but the chance that it happens in the near future is extremely rare. After all, the di-nosaurs lived for two hundred million years while humans have only been around for about two hundred thousand years. "ere-fore if humans are around for as long as the dinosaurs were, it is probable that there will be some type of large meteor to hit the planet causing a large die out of our species. "e likeliness of humans becoming extinct from this is small because we are an evasive species and the meteor would have to be enormous. Like meteors that fall to the Earth’s sur-face daily, there are volcanoes and earth-quakes happening everyday on the surface as well. Most of the earthquakes are small and insigni!cant, but there are several every year that measure in the 6 or 7 range on the Richter scale and can cause immense damage. Despite the large magnitudes of these earthquakes, there is no chance they would be the sole cause of a global human extinction. "e natural disaster that poses the greatest threat is a volcano. Currently, there is only one volcano that could erupt in the near future and have the potential to end human life on Earth, and that is Yel-

Rev. Bill Maupin leads group in Arizona to pre-pare for “The Rapture”. Thought they would be lifted up like “helium balloons”

The end of a millenium. Anything from computer viruses to a Jewish cult predicting Nuclear War.

Invisble planets and the shifting of our magnetic field. The Mayans say our time is up

lowstone National Park. "e park is actu-ally classi!ed as a supervolcano because in its entirety it is actually an underground volcano. Since becoming active several million years ago, it has violently erupted three times and if it were to do so again the e$ects could be catastrophic. Ash could be shot into the atmosphere blocking the sun from part of the world for an extended pe-riod of time and it has also been speculated that a Yellowstone eruption may trigger other volcanic eruptions around the world. So if most of the world’s volcanoes explode simultaneously, it is reasonable to say that our species could be wiped out. "e likeli-hood of this happening is small, however, it is very likely Yellowstone will erupt again. "ere is a chance the explosion may not be so enormous but even if it were, it is un-likely it would cause complete human ex-tinction. While many of these end of human life predictions involve doomsdays, what if humanity slowly dissolved away because of starvation due to an extreme lack of re-sources on Earth? It is natural in a given ecosystem that when a population grows above the carrying capacity of that ecosys-tem (where there is just enough resources in that ecosystem for the population to survive) they move elsewhere to !nd more food. If for some reason it is impossible to relocate (for example on an island or a forest sectioned o$ by highways) all of the organisms in that population many or all of them could die. "is follows the realis-tic growth curve, which humans have not experienced yet; however, it is predicted by some that in time when, globally, our natu-ral resources become scarce, our population

will plummet. "e question is will we ever run out of resources and when? If we do run out of the natural resources necessary to sustain life, it would not be for quite some time, and who’s not to say that in the future devices will be developed to combat this problem. For example, a future device could possibly be created that can rearrange atoms and molecules, although certainly not anytime soon, to form things like milk, water, a steak, a piece of steel, or a plank of wood could be created. So yes, the Earth will eventually not have su#cient natu-ral resources to support the exponentially growing human population, but when this happens, humans may have the means to synthesize their own resources. However, if not, then our species may die out or if pos-sible, leave the planet. Many also believe the end of human life on Earth could be from a nuclear World War III. During the Cold War, the fear of nuclear missiles was very much a reality and people feared the United States and the So-viet Union would nuke each other creating an enormous amount atmospheric nuclear radiation. If this happened, fallout would not just be in those countries, but due to atmospheric winds (i.e. the jet stream) ra-diation could be carried all over the planet resulting in eradiated precipitation. If mul-tiple countries began nuking one another, these e$ects would be magni!ed and the death toll from the bombs and the fallout would be even more catastrophic. "e Cold War being over brings down the threat of a nuclear war, but with coun-tries in the Middle East obtaining nuclear weaponry, this type of war is still very fea-sible. Additionally, who is to say whether in one hundred years we may be involved in a giant war with one of our current al-lies, or perhaps an issue with Russia would

surface. One of the only things refuting the possibility of a nuclear war is that countries, for the most part, understand the disastrous e$ects and potential outcome of a nuclear confrontation, therefore a war of this sort would likely be avoided. What about robots? "ere have been many movies that depict robots as a threat to humanity such as "e Terminator and iRobot but most all of them have a setting of sometime in the distant future. "is is because in order to even consider robots causing harm, they would have to be able to think for themselves (arti!cial intelli-gence (AI)), which has not been developed yet. It is still extremely unlikely that if AI was ever created these robots would go on a rampage and destroy everything in sight, or formulate a plot to end humanity. Even if this happened it is highly unlikely that a group of robots could defeat the armies of the world.

2012 destruction theories, for the most part, are very extreme. Some make sense but could not possibly occur within a time-frame of just three years or so. Any ground-ed belief in these ideas would probably not be a mentally healthy choice.In the Geomagnetic Shift "eory, the plan-et’s magnetic pole will simply reverse. "is means that the North Pole will swap with the South Pole. "e origin of this would be in either the earth’s core or as a result of massive solar %ares in the sun’s sunspot cy-cle. "is is di$erent then another proposed idea that a polar shift will occur that will actually reverse the rotation of the planet. Believers insist that this would weaken the magnetic !eld of the Earth, exposing us to a host of the Sun’s radiation scouring the planet of all life and creating worldwide de-struction the likes of which have never been seen before...

The 2000th aniversary of Jesus’ resurection. Will it be as uneventful as the last?

The sun turns into a red giant and consume the inner planets. The true end of the world.

McKenna decided to utilize the theory that the I-ching (an ancient fortune telling system) was actually an ancient Chinese calendar. Using a multitude of complex math and algorithms descried in his book he was able to create a timeline of earth in the form of a line graph. "e calculations were rough but still surprisingly accurate. "e most impressive thing about this was that McKenna actually came to the same conclusion with 2012 completely separate of any other in%uence. "is was done in 1975 and there was no general knowledge of the Mayan calendar. "e MAJOR prob-lem with this theory is that McKenna was under the combined e$ect of psilocybin mushrooms and DMT when he conceived this. "is probably is detrimental to his credibility. I could not even try to imagine the sheer psychological warping this man went through consuming that combination of hallucinogenic drugs. "e Mayan Calendar is the most fa-mous of all modern day predictions of the apocalypse. "e Calendar has become one of the most popular predictor of disaster because that it suddenly ends on Decem-ber 12, 2012. "e reason for it being given such popularity traces back to the fact that this calendar is even more accurate than the one we use today. "e end date would have had a great religious signi!cance to the An-cient Mayans. Modern day Mayans actu-ally don’t really place that much emphasis on the date. Ancients Mayans never even predicted anything speci!c on that date. "ey primarily just stopped their calendar on that day. Is Earth destined to be destroyed or is it humanity that will be erased? "e pseudo-science of theorists points us to believe in “hoaxes” when the data that supports the truth says the otherwise. As much as we have fun thinking the world will end on the exact date of December 21, 2012, it’s incredibly improbable. End of the world claims lead back hun-dreds of years and when we look back on them we ridicule them for being ridicu-lous and ill-informed. Nothing makes this claim any di$erent other then the fact that it’s current. Instead, humanity should be turned onto an enlightenment of sorts, which allows us to see that we should be preventing the destruction of Earth and the annihilation of the human race, not simply preparing for it.

Pole reversal is actually a viable geological idea. It has happened before and will most likely happen again. However the predic-tion of an event like this would be near to impossible, due to the fact it occurs in a completely random fashion. So those who claim this would occur in 2012 have no sci-enti!c basis for their argument and refuse to acknowledge facts. "e craziest idea of them all is “Planet Nibiru” of “Planet X”. In this doomsday theory there is an ancient planet that was documented in ancient Sumerian (one of the oldest civilizations in the world) myth that is planning on returning to our solar system in 2012. "is mystery planet cannot even be detected or seen because of alien technology or a government cover-up. "is unseen planet has been ignored for mil-lennia because it rotates on what’s called a “Long Orbit”, in which its orbit is several times larger than Neptune’s and is com-pleted over thousands of years. "e results of Planet X point to an interplanetary col-lision ending everything we know. "ere is no sound reason to believe this, there is no proof what so ever that a planet like this exists. "is idea gained “relevance” when NASA saw a mystery object on an infrared camera in the 80’s. "is obviously meant that there was a giant planet gun-ning right for us. "e size of this object was originally estimated at around the size of a brown dwarf star (4,770 – 25,440 times the size of Earth and 50 billion miles away), then in 1992 there were supposed “devia-tions” in the orbits of Neptune and Ura-nus. "is was caused by an object approxi-mately 4-8 sizes larger then Earth and it was somewhere around 7 billion miles from Earth. "ese claims mean that the mystery planet has shed a barbaric amount of mass and has traveled over 43 billion miles in 8 years. "ere are large interstellar objects (Trans-Neptunian objects or TNO’s) that %oat around in the distant Kuiper Belt, but none of them are on a death course with Earth any time soon. December 12, 2012 is the winter solstice

and in 2012 it will signify the end of a 6,450 year galactic cycle. Many unique ga-lactic alignments are supposed to occur on this date including Earth aligning with the galactic center and a black hole. Also the Sun is going to appear to touch the edge of the “Great Rift”, an area of space associated with a religious rebirth in Mayan culture. Also, our solar system is supposed to enter an area where asteroids are more likely to hit the planet. A couple of the 2012 theo-ries insinuate that the results of said galac-tic alignments could possibly lead to: a door into the heart of space-time opening, the entire universe will be reborn or a massive spiritual enlightenment. It’s pretty hard to !nd supporting evi-dence about the theories on a space-time door, the birth of a new baby cosmos or spiritual enlightenment. As far as it is known, these alignments are simply just “alignments”. Nothing scienti!c is actually predicted from any of these. "e alignment that has us entering an area with more as-teroid activity actually has a scienti!c basis, but it occurs every 20-25 million years and the entire process takes over 1 million years to complete. It doesn’t happen in just one day.

Web bots were made famous in a History Channel special called, Nostradamus Ef-fect. "ey were created by two men who call themselves “"e Time Monks”, in 1997 and were originally developed to predict stock market trends. Now they are used to read subconscious internet chatter by keep-ing track of key words and topics and then compile them into a prediction. It became famous for predicting events like 9/11, the Space S huttle Columbia disaster and the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. "e programs have made some accurate pre-dictions, but as a whole they are very inac-curate. "e predictions are also very vague and almost always negative, supporting the idea that tragedy sells. Web bots have only predicted a catastrophic event for 2012, not necessarily the end of the world. "en there is the I-ching and "e Time-Wave Zero "eory. A man, named Terrence

One of the largest employers in the Dover area, Liberty Mutual is an integral part of not only the New Hampshire seacoast, but every community in which we do business. And, we take our role as a responsible, corporate community citizen seriously.

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But even in a constantly-evolving idustry, Granite State has stayed true to its roots. From an industry !lled with ‘frauds’ and people rhyming about unrealistic lifestyles, emerges two men and a DJ trying to keep it real. "e local rap group of longtime Exeter resi-dents, Doug York, and Bugout, make up Granite State, while their DJ, Statik Selektah is also from Exeter. "e underground group is on the rise, and released their !rst album in 2006. "e name of the album, !e Breaking Point, was a !tting name for where they believed the industry was headed. “Hip Hop has been at a breaking point for the last few years. Nobody knows what to do or where the music is going to go, so they’re just doing what everybody else is doing and it’s making things worse,” said York. But Doug York and Bugout believe they can help change this direction, and have been since they entered the game in the seventh grade. “I grew up listening to Hip Hop and became obsessed with#it. It wasn’t#half as#popular as it is now, and we used to have to#search for it, which made it even more entic-ing. One thing led to another, and I just wanted to become part of the culture. Rapping was the easiest way# for me to feel like#I was a part of it,” said York. It was in the seventh grade Statik Selektah moved to Exeter from Lawrence, Mas-sachussetts, which elevated Doug York’s interest in hip hop and started his pur-suit toward becoming the MC he is to-day. Growing up, Doug York listened to all the same hip hop legends that are still listened to including, Wu-Tang, Biggie, Jay Z, Nas, Common, A Tribe# Called Quest, "e Roots, and Gang Starr. “My taste in music hasn’t changed. I love Hip Hop, but unfortunately what’s consid-ered Hip Hop has changed.# So I don’t really like or listen to stu$ that# comes out nowadays,” York said. But it was

these legends and his friends which got him o$ on the right foot. “I met Bugout when we were real young.# Way before either of us started rapping.#Our mothers were good friends so we grew up together,” said York. How long the two have known each other may just be the reason why they balance each other out so perfectly. However, the two didn’t start out together. “I had begun as a DJ but I liked writing songs more than spinning them,” York said. In fact, Bugout had a group with Statik before Doug York even entered the picture. “In junior high, I knew that he had a group with Statik and I rapped with another friend of mine,” said York.# It was only natural the three would eventually emerge as best friends be-cause of their uncommon passion for

hip-hop, and it all began when Statik introduced himself to Doug York. “Hip Hop wasn’t that popular back then, and anyone that did listen to it knew other kids that listened to it.# He used to rap back then, and he knew that I rapped, so he called me up one day and asked if I wanted to go# on his radio show at Phillips Exeter Academy.# I said, ‘yeah’ and we’ve been best friends ever since,” York said. It wasn’t until they reached the old Exeter high school though when they started gaining some local popularity and started taking an interest in pursu-ing this dream of positively in%uencing a corrupted hip hop culture. "e three started rapping wherever they went. “Statik used to live right across the street from the old high school (literally) and

“"e Breaking Point,” said York. But !nding time to piece the whole album together wasn’t easy for York as he was still attending class in New York, Mon-day through Friday, while still trying to record in New Hampshire. “I was go-ing to school# in#New York, but#record-ing the album# in New Hampshire.# So every weekend# I would take a bus up and spend the weekend in the studio.# "en I would take the bus back down for class on Monday.# We did that for three months; it wasn’t fun, but it was worth it.” All of their hard work truly paid o$. A&er their !rst album was released, the three not only became big stars in Ex-eter, but their hit song, “Gone with the Wind” appeared on the Sirius Satellite Radio channel “Hip Hop Nation” as a pick for their prestigious “Top Five Hit

we would walk to his house and rap wherever his turntables were set up (bedroom, base-ment, etc.)# We also rapped on our radio show at PEA. We would rap at parties, front steps, walking to friends houses, in the car.# Hip Hop wasn’t a big thing back then and venues wouldn’t allow rap shows, so we would just do it for fun where ever we were at,” said York. But it was the group’s !rst show which really got them hooked, “Our !rst show was in ninth grade at the old high school.# "e senior class knew that we rapped and that Statik DJ’d, and asked us to perform.# It was at that point I was hooked.” "e three remained hooked throughout all of high school, and even decided to at-tend school in Boston and continue to chase their hip hop dreams. “We moved to Bos-ton because we were# starting# college down there in the fall.# We ended up !nding a place#in#May, before we graduated high school, and moved in,” said York. But the move to Boston would eventually lead to the group dissembling for a short time. “We would record here and there but didn’t take it too seriously.# "at was around the same time Statik started to make a name for himself as#a mixtape#DJ in Boston.##A&er that, we all kind of dri&ed apart doing separate things,” York said. Fortunately, a&er splitting for a few years, the group met up, formed Granite State, and instantly started recording, “It was pretty organic actually.# We recorded one song, liked the way it sounded so we recorded another song.# One thing led to another and we ended up having enough material for a whole album, which became our !rst album,

Doug and Bugout

played for Exeter High

School students at

a concert in December.

List.” Beyond having fans from around the world, and producing great music, Granite State has been able to provide New Hampshire people with music they can relate to. Instead of listening to some of today’s hottest rap and hip- hop stars rhyme about doing hard drugs and having intercourse with numerous women, Granite State provides people with real music. In the hit song “What Up B?!” Granite State spells out Exeter, and in “Never Too Far,” they make a ref-erence to the “Wall” at Hampton Beach. As a rap group from New Hampshire, many would think these guys would face numerous challenges, but they would ar-gue otherwise. “We face the same chal-lenges as every other rapper out there. It doesn’t really matter where you’re from

anymore because of the way the music climate has changed with the internet and all. It’s kind of been a blessing and a curse for music in general. It’s great because now you don’t have to be from New York or LA to be heard, but it’s created a lot of garbage to %ood the music world. Our challenge is just !nding ways to reach enough ears to make a di$er-ence,” said York. Last year, Granite State released its second album many were eagerly waiting for. So when it was released, its name !e RE:Public !tted the album perfectly. “We came up with !e RE:Public for a couple reasons. One being that# we’re regular people# and we speak for the people so it’s like we’re the republic; we’re right there with everyone else speaking on the times of today. Secondly, between albums we were asked so many times, when’s the next album coming out? Are you guys signed? Are you guys breaking up? So the name stands for our response to the public, hence RE:Public” said York.Granite State has always stuck to what they believe rap is all about, which is keeping the music real. "e two are always trying to connect with their listeners and it just makes their music that much better. “My goal is to make great music that all people can enjoy and have it mean something to#them. I#started rapping because of the way Hip Hop made me feel. I want to give that same feeling to someone else,” said York. Granite State has provided so many local kids with inspiration. "ey are truly an ex-ample of two guys who never gave up on their dreams, and fought through numerous hardships to get to where the hit rap group stands today with two albums released.

Doug and Bugout graduated from Exeter in 2000.

've been to the anti-marijuana classes, from Wellness in 7th grade to Mrs. Supple's 10th grade health class to the recent drug presenta-tion by Narconon International. Upon hearing their message, I checked their facts. It is evident that there is little agreement on the facts regarding marijuana in today's media and scienti!c com-munity. I'm clearly not the only person to have encountered this contradic-

tion- smoking marijuana has high preva-lence in our student body. On a state-wide risk behavior survey in 2008, 42 percent of

tials cite facts from all sorts of studies. "e health e$ects in particular are sur-prisingly disputed. For most pharmaceu-tical drugs, the short-term and long-term health impact of their use can be deter-mined in just months of study. For mari-juana however, despite over 10,000 years of use across the world, scienti!c studies pro-duce contradicting results, causing politi-cal activists to argue over the facts. "ere is no scienti!c conclusion as to the possible negative health e$ects of using the drug in-cluding addictiveness, brain damage, lung cancer, and amotivation. Donald Tashkin, Professor of Medicine at UCLA, stated in a 2004 report, "Marijuana

sults of the use of marijuana.” However, WebMD.com, a website that provides doc-tors with information on how to most ef-fectively treat their patients reports, "Long-term and even daily marijuana use doesn't appear to cause permanent brain damage." It is impossible to reconcile these two state-ments- who does the health department expect students to believe? Is marijuana addictive? Mr. Landry, health teacher, said in an interview, "Marijuana is addictive. Kids get used to the high and slowly become dependent on the drug to do anything in their life." Upon investiga-tion, I found this statement is substantiated by numerous sources, including Above the

my classmates said they have smoked pot; moreover, 20 percent labeled themselves "habitual users". "ose kids aren't listening to the anti-marijuana message, and a&er investigation, it's obvious why. In America, political reform groups such as NORML (norml.org) and Yes We [Can]nabis present the argument for legalizing marijuana. Provokingly, the facts asserted by their highly quali!ed experts contra-dict the data provided by anti-marijuana groups. "is disagreement on facts is widespread and is an obstruction to e$ec-tive debate and, furthermore, legalization. "ere is virtually no consensus on which facts to believe; people of varying creden-

does not cause lung cancer. In 10,000 years of use, there has never been a case of brown lung, emphysema or cancer." It seems this information would come as a total surprise to the government-funded drug awareness program Drug Free World, who wrote on their website, "One joint gives as much ex-posure to cancer-producing chemicals as smoking !ve cigarettes." Does smoking pot cause lung cancer or not? "Marijuana kills brain cells." "is is com-monly cited by anti-marijuana groups as a side e$ect of using marijuana. Even Ronald Reagan exclaimed in a speech, ""e most reliable scienti!c sources say permanent brain damage is one of the inevitable re-

In%uence, who summarizes that "compul-sive drug seeking and abuse is inevitable." Also found on their website are symptoms of withdrawal, including sleeplessness, ir-ritability, decreased appetite, anxiety and drug craving as a result of quiting. On the other hand, the American Medi-cal Association poses that marijuana is non-addictive. It is important to distin-guish between relevant terms. "Addictive" refers to physiological dependence and physical destruction upon withdrawal, while "habituating" means one !nds an activity enjoyable and is reluctant to stop partaking. "e AMA a'rms that while marijuana use "may be habituating, there

are no withdrawal symptoms associated with prolonged marijuana use." In fact, this past November, the AMA requested that the federal government remove marijuana from the Schedule I drug list, a series of ad-dictive drugs with no medical bene!t. "e government has refused to do this until more studies have been conducted. If the AMA isn't reliable, what does"scienti!c" mean?

Should we really be surprised that kids smoke pot? Across the media, marijuana use is perceived as a normal and acceptable

Grandma's Boy, and Pineapple Express. "Drink my beer and smoke my weed. Man, I love college." "ese lyrics make up the chorus to the hit song of 2009, "I Love College" by Asher Roth. Is it OK that smoking marijuana is associated with col-lege? It's no wonder why kids preparing for secondary schooling are experimenting with pot- it seems it is an inevitable activity in their near future. Pop songs frequently reference mari-juana. Hip hop god Kid Cudi calls himself a "lonely stoner" that "frees his mind at night." Dave Matthews, too, sings, "I smoke my mind to make me feel high for a small time." "ese artists are more than celebri-

iad channels, including Showtime's Weeds, Fox's "at's 70's Show, FX's Rescue Me, are all partly fueled by marijuana themes. Finally, students look at well-paid pro-fessionals and !nd that a great number of them have admitted to smoking dope. Mi-chael Phelps smoked pot prior to becom-ing the top swimmer on Earth. Ted Turner developed CNN, makes millions and has a massive share of today's broadcast media- he smoked pot and still does. Steve Jobs invented Apple Computers smoking pot. And the best for last: the last three presi-dents have all admitted to smoking pot. As Kevin Nealon from Saturday Night Live summarizes, "A lot of baby boomers are

activity. Despite being illegal, TV shows, movies and songs serve to glamorize mari-juana. Is that OK? Comedic classic Cheech and Chong de-picts two stoners with little to do but smoke marijuana. Tommy Chong led the laughter for over a decade through nine sequels, making impressions on the millions who viewed his movies. His outrageous acting was so popular that it paved the way for a series of similar movies to follow-- all cen-tered around marijuana use. "is subgenre became known as "Stoner !lms". How many high schoolers have seen these stoner !lms? Here are a few: Harold and Kumar, Dude, Where's My Car, Super Troopers,

ties to kids; shouldn't we be concerned about the illegal activities they condone? For those hooked on HBO's hit series “Entourage,” you know the "boys from New York" aren't strangers to marijuana. Our beloved Turtle smokes a joint nearly every episode, even saying of the video game Fight Night 2, "I can't play if I'm not stoned!" Eric brainstorms a way to !lm both Medellin and Aquaman 2 just mo-ments a&er blowing out a hit from a bong. Even movie star Vincent Chase can't pass up his turn to hit the hookah when the gang visits a grow operation in Napa Val-ley. Beyond this, television shows from myr-

baby bongers." Marijuana is all over the media. "e ques-tion is whether or not this is a re%ection of reality-- maybe marijuana use is so wide-spread that it's truly a social norm. Over a third of Americans have tried pot and its estimated that 50 million continue to par-take regularly, disregarding the law. De-spite this, the War on Drugs continues to waste billions of dollars chasing an impos-sible goal: to rid the country of marijuana use. "is contradiction between law and public interest is a source of great friction in society today. Just what are the e$ects?

"e high demand for marijuana causes an extremely high market value. So high, in fact, that virtually anyone can turn a huge pro!t with little e$ort by selling it to kids and adults in the community. "e only barriers to entry into this shady enterprise is one dope connection and a will to chal-lenge the authorities. For any kid working up to 20 hours a week outside of school, dealing drugs can be very attractive. For a simple, notably gratifying task, kids can make hundreds of dollars, money that can be spent on cars, music, video games, sporting equipment, books- there is in!nite uses for the dirty money. It is this incentive that arouses kids to dive head!rst into the black market and all its dark power, motivated by easy pro!t

and stimulated by the excitement of rebel-lion. Illegality forces distribution to come from underground- high schoolers freely take up the position. Furthermore, marijuana prohibition is harming Americans on a national level and is decaying society in numerous ways. "e inordinate sums of illegal drug money corrupts our courts, our policemen and our citizens. It has corrupted our neighbor Mexico where drug cartels rule, driven in part by the pro!ts of selling marijuana over the border to us. In the United States, or-ganized crime is strengthened by prohibi-tion as gangs are incentivized to break the law in order to earn money and grow in numbers and in%uence. "e prohibition of marijuana has caused a societal qualm for

the law and has increased violence coun-try-wide. Another massive problem with illegality is that a conviction of simple possession results in a criminal record, which causes di'culties in applying for jobs or loans. Over 800,000 arrests were made in 2008 for simple possession of marijuana; moreover, 1.8 million Americans have been convicted of simple possession. An arrest record may block careers in the military, police and !re departments, med-icine and dentistry, to name a few. A popu-lation of Americans is forever plagued by this conviction; it's a severe punishment for the private use of a drug with debatable health impact. "e anti-marijuana groups don't seem to care. Do you?

Information from classes students are taking right now is directly applicable to the concepts in the de-bate about the legalizing marijuana. The legality of marijuana carries one through 30 years of U.S. history- involving gov-ernment administrations with alternate agendas, who pursue the War on Drugs for various political reasons. Principles of eco-nomics explain the impli-cations of having a $100 billion black market sur-round America's society and economy. The chem-istry of a '9- THC atom begs investigation. So does the biology of can-nabinoid receptors found in the brains of mam-mals, birds, "sh and rep-tiles. Become informed about marijuana and understand the debate.

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This large sign was proudly displayed outside town hall

Families lined up across town to take a turn on the horse-drawn carriage.

EHS students like Sara Doverspike and Jenna Bessemer volunteered at the festival.

One of the smallest trees shines the brightest.

A multitude of di!erent trees were displayed, each "ghting for the most attention inside town hall.

Downtown Exeter was decorated in festive lights for the month of December.

Siobhan Darmody, Lindsay Mumford, & Kristen Clark all enjoyed the festival

Technology,Media,Life.

JANUARY 2010

Laptops have become about as

common as a kitchen sink in American

homes.

Assassin’s Creed 2: Every possible thing that was wrong with the first is

corrected in this awesome sequel.

Black Eyed Peas- The E.N.D. (The Energy Never

Dies) is by far the best selling album

of the year.

Red Digital, a young company started by the

owners of Oakley, has

some innovative products.

Pearl Jam’s Back-spacer shows a

more maint-stream version of the band. But it

still rocks.

Public Enemies: great acting and music make this three hour movie

seem, almost short, but it has one issue, it’s

actually not long enough

Issuu.com offers everything from

electronic magazines to catalogues: In all different languages.

Modern Warfare 2 sticks to the winning formula of its predecessor, without ever feeling like more of

the same.

Need some time to let off some steam and relax for awhile? StumbleUpon.com is the answer.

Paranormal Activity is one of the scari-est movies to come

across in a long time, and it does this by feeling so very real.

The Hangover is quite simply

one of the funniest

films ever made.

Big Whiskey is one of D.M.B.’s

best albums so

far.

If you have seen this !lm, then you under-stand why its by far 2009’s funniest movie. It’s hard to understand why the humor in "e Hangover is so e$ective; it’s not neces-sarily witty, but it’s not annoyingly stupid. It’s more of a perfect blend between dumb and intelligent, a blend that every comedy strives to achieve, but most fall short of. "is story of a nightmare in the City of Sin is hard to forget. Make sure you watch the credits for a full understanding of the movie’s outrageousness.

Warner Brothers’ Public Enemies is outstanding in its visuals, but also in its historical accuracy and plotline. "e movie stars Johnny Depp as John Dill-inger, a notorious criminal of the 1930’s, and Christian Bale, a cop determined to bring him down. Great acting and music make this three hour movie seem almost short. But it has one issue: it’s actually not long enough! "e story is so involved and follows so many di$erent characters, it feels as if each character isn’t given the time needed to really build a relation-ship with the audience. All in all, Public Enemies earns a well deserved spot at the top of the list for 2009 with its wonderful recreation of a dark, crime ridden era of American history.#

What started o$ as a group of folks at-tempting to make a movie with a small consumer camera, and no actual !lm set to shoot it on, has become a punch in the gut to the higher budget !lms who

sat reluctantly below it in the box o'ce. "e reason for its success is the fact that it actually scares people. Its a great movie using creativity instead of expensive sets and well-known actors. It’s a gritty, down-to-earth !lm, which possesses a scare factor like no other. It is one of the scariest movies in a long time, and it does this by creating such an authentic environment. Even though it may not have the biggest replay value, everyone has to see this movie once.#

As one of today’s most popular main-stream alternative bands, Dave Matthews and his crew does an outstanding job with their most recent album. “Big Whiskey” sold 424,000 copies within its !rst week on the shelves.# “Funny the Way it is” debuted at number one on the singles charts, and this single is accompanied by a few other tracks that really distinguish the album. Matthews’ lyrics are as creative as ever and each song is a perfect !t on this outsdand-ing album.

Just as 2009 was coming to a close, James Cameron released his long awaited Project known as Avatar. With a massive budget and the involvement of over 1,000 people, there were very high expectations for this !lm. Due to the snow storms occur-ring on it’s release, the !rst weekend was fairly slow, but once the roads cleared, the theaters were overwhelmed with Avatar

hungry patrons. It took only seventeen days for the !lm to reach $1 billion in pro!t, and it did for good reason. Avatar has set a new standard in cinema with it’s ground breaking technology, and elabo-rate storyline. It is an obvious choice for the best !lm of 2009, and many will argue that it’s the best of the decade.

A&er receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback with its release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in 2007, In!nity Ward soon had a huge problem on their hands: how to release a sequel that would surpass the successes they had with the original Modern Warfare. Well, they did it. How? By taking the same game, changing the main storyline, adding cooperative game modes, expanding the extremely popular multiplayer, and throwing in a slew of new weapons, vehicles, and plot twists. Modern Warfare 2 sticks to the winning formula of its predecessor, without ever feeling like more of the same. "e campaign is similar to the last game in it consists of levels sprawled across the globe, each of which contain at least one set piece (or dramatic scene), including snowmobiling, rappelling, piloting a river boat, and more. "e new cooperative mode, called Spec Ops, allows two players to relive memorable scenes from the cam-paign while ful!lling almost arcade-like objectives, such as placing !rst in a snow-mobile race against gun-toting terrorists. "e multiplayer is as great as ever with the addition of new levels, new perks, and new upgrade options. "ere are some shortcomings, of course, such as the campaign being too short (!ve hours? "at’s it?) and the lack of a story-based cooperative mode. But when it all comes down to it, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is undeniably amazing.

By far the best selling album of the year.# "ree tracks o$ the album have achieved radio-single status; one of those be-ing “Boom Boom Pow” which spent 12 consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100 Chart only to be followed by "e E.N.D.’s other single, “I Gotta Feelin” which spent 14 consecutive weeks on top of the Hot 100 chart, making the Black Eyed Peas only the fourth band to ever replace themselves on the Hot 100 chart.#

Pearl Jam is arguably the most success-ful rock band to survive the 90’s and with Backspacer debuting number one on the Billboard top 100, Pearl Jam is still one of rock’s best. Even with a slight move to-wards the more mainstream music scene, Vedder and crew bring the same quality to their most recent album that they have with their previous.

U2 has constantly changed with the music scene since their beginnings in Ireland back in 1979; No Line on the Horizon is no exception. However, the album was not as experimental as was originally expected, and explanation for its short stay on the charts.

Issuu.com has hundreds of magazines and other electronic documents that suit any reader. From news to politics and enter-tainment, Issuu has everything. It even o$ers di$erent languages. Viewing the website is free of charge, as well as signing up to be a member. It requires general information and a check in a box signifying that you are eighteen, and then you can upload your work. "e site is extremely user-friendly and brings electronic documents to life.

Need some time to let o$ some steam and relax for awhile? StumbleUpon.com is the answer. "ere are 21 categories to choose from on the main page that range from humor to self-improvement. It is where the ran-domness of the internet comes together with what might peak your interest. Click from one site to the next, explore your preferences. Signing up is easy, all that’s required is basic information. In no time you’ll be sur!ng interesting and entertaining sites.

JANUARY 2010

Interested in a nice camera? Or maybe a nice video camera? Or better yet, how about both? Now there are plenty of these all in one camera/camcorder contraptions available, but none with the professional quality that Red has built their name on. Red Digital is a very young com-pany which was created by the owners of Oakley, their goal is to forever change the camera industry. "e Red Scarlet (pictured above) is Reds consumer based HD cam-era which they claim will record footage in 3k, that’s three times the resolution of 1080p, this is unheard of technology in even the most expensive cameras available today.#"ere is still no o'cial release date on this long awaited camera, but that’s ok, because you’re going to need the time to save up the $3,000-$4,000 that it's estiAp-ple products, a little easier to swallow.

#Alienware has never been concerned with making portable laptops, and their newest release is not going to change this. "e M15x is just shy of 2 inches thick, and weighs in at a scale bending 9.4 pounds, so it’s not ideal for those on the move. Even though it’s about the size of a Toyota Prius, it has about twice the horsepower of one, and that’s what counts. "e M15x is packed with the new Intel i7 processor, an Invidia GeForce GTX 260M graphics card, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB Hard Drive.

Laptops have become about as common as a kitchen sink in American homes. Most families just need a laptop that will allow them to use the internet and word processors, but for some, this isn’t enough. For those who want to do it all and fast, Apple has just the thing. A stand out laptop of 2009 was the newly re!ned Macbook Pro, they are now available in three models, 13 inches, 15 inches, and 17 inches. "e Macbook Pros are well built, smooth running machines powered by#the recently improved Mac#OS (Snow Leopard). At !rst, it is a bit awkward to learn an entirely new system, but once you get the hang of it, it’s hard not to like a Mac. "e best part of a Mac is the customer support, and makes the high prices of Apple products, a little easier to swallow.

"e HP Mini 311 surpasses all netbook competitiors; this lightweight, yet durable machine will go wherever you do, with out being a burden. With a twelve-inch screen and signi!cant processing power, the Mini is perfect for those always on the move, and at only $400, it’s an a$orable purchase.

Apple’s new Magic Mouse is simply incredible; the !rst multi-touch mouse ever created, it allows for unbeatable control and precision. It’s intuitive, smart, dynamic; the mouse’s capablitites can be maximized by altering settings in System Preferences to provide a user-friendly ap-proach. And much like previous models, the top of the mouse is one smooth sur-face sensitive to right and le& !ngers. "e result is natural tracking and a comforable scrolling. Finger gestures on the top sur-face of the mouse respond as a trackpad on a laptop would. Fingers can be pinched to zoom in on photographs, dragged from side to side to school, tapped with two !n-gers to access Dashboard, and even swiped to move from one photo to another in a slideshow. Although it’s $69, a price dif-!cult to justify for a mouse, the he&y price tag is worth it for such an innovative and responsive mouse.

Position your "ngers on the board so your index "nger is on the center of the board and your middle "nger is on the tail.

Press down softly and “grip” the board on your "ngers.

Push backward to gain speed, and #ick the board up and forward with your middle "nger, letting it “pop” o! the table.

Keep your hand nearby and set your "ngers back on the board just before it lands.

Land and allow your arm to carry it through.

JANUARY 2010

Push clutch all the way in.

Move into "rst gear

As you slowly let up on the clutch push on the gas as the same time

Once you feel the clutch “catch” release it and keep pressing on gas.

(After a while you will develop a feel-ing for the just the right amount of clutch and gas to add to not stall.)

once you hit 20 mph switch to second gear, then third when you

hit 30 mph, fourth when you hit 40, and "fth for all speeds past 50 mph

(primarily for highway use.) If you are in the wrong gear you will hear the

engine rev.

Beware of hills until you feel con"-dent driving a standard (people tend

to roll backwards.)

Practice in a parking lot until you get the hang of it.

Don’t worry about stalling: even the best standard drivers stall (when

the cars turns o! because you are in the wrong gear, do not use

clutch when changing gears, or do not have the right clutch to gas ratio.)

Cruise around in style...

A. The StandB. Dances with WolvesC. HamletD. The Cure for Insomnia

A. The Singing FoolB. The Jazz SingerC. New York NightsD. Are You a Mason?

A. Toy StoryB. Finding NemoC. The IncrediblesD. Monsters, Inc.

A. The Blair Witch ProjectB. The WallC. ClerksD. Titanic

A. Star Trek: The Motion PictureB. Twilight Zone: The MovieC. Judgment at NurembergD. The Brothers Karamazov

A. Enter the DragonB. Game of DeathC. The Big BrawlD. South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut

A. Burt LancasterB. Harrison FordC. Marlon BrandoD. Woody Allen

A. Indiana Jones and the Temple of DoomB. Indiana Jones and the Last CrusadeC. PoltergeistD. E.T.

v ia usefu l t r iv ia .com

1. D 2. B 3. C 4. C 5. D 6. B 7. B 8. D

Dennis P. GorskiOwner, Instructor

603.778.2601603.770.3251

Your safety has alwaysbeen our primary concern.

Five week courses at Safe Wheels in Exeter begin on February 8, 2010 for all those sixteen by March 12, 2009 and

March 15, 2010 for those sixteen by April 16, 2010.

SAFE WHEELS OFFERS COMPLE TE , YE T ACCELERATED DRIVER EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

P R O U D T O S E R V E E X E T E R H I G H S C H O O L A N D T H E L O C A L C O M M U N I T Y

Safe WheelsDriving Schools

CompleteDriverEducationPrograms

NOW ONLY

$600 THAT’S

$50 OFF P.O. Box 622Hampton Falls, NH 03844

111 R Water StreetExeter, NH 03833