November 2009 Blue & Gold Malden High School

The Election results on page 7

The Blue and Gold

Everything you wanted to know about the Middle East on pages 10 and 11

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Malden High School Volume 94 Edition 2

Exclusive photo of auditorium on page 14

Our 94th Year November 2008

The Rematch of ‘05

Fall Fashion on page 16

Green Renovations Megan Kelly Reporter

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Photo by Lauren Benoit Malden lines up versus Everett Alex Gennigiorgis Reporter

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n Nov. 14 Malden High School football lost the league title against the infamous Everett High School with a score of 13-7 in overtime. Early in the first quarter senior quarterback Shakarus Samexant passed to junior receiver Frankie Dunn to put them on top. After several failed opportunities, Everett rallied to tie the game in the final 4

minutes of the fourth quarter. Deep into overtime Everett made their way down the field to gain the lead. Malden retaliated with a series of plays that lead to a touchdown pass that was subsequently recalled by the referee. Going into the game the team had held a perfect record in the Great Boston League (GBL), beating both Somerville and Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School by wide margins. The team’s previous

chance at becoming GBL champions was in 2005 (when Head Coach Joseph Papagallo last coached MHS, as the assistant). Malden lost to Everett 22-18, ending the MHS football team’s season with an outstanding 9-2 record. Although, the team’s record stood at 4-5 following their loss against Everett; Coach Papagallo believes the record could have been 7-1 without the loss of MHS star quarterback Marcos Almeida, who continued on page 17

Vachon Renews Vocational Education Joshua Kummins Reporter

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ue to the stronger focus in the core academic subjects, the Malden High School Technology Education department, which once consisted of ten skilled labor shops has now dwindled down to two rooms in the basement of Malden High School, where wood shop teacher Phil Vachon and auto shop teacher Christopher Bazzinotti teach. Phillip E. Vachon is the new hire in the MHS Tech-Ed department. He only teaches one class a day, due to his other part time job teaching tech-ed at Burlington High School. During his period continued on page 8

huge craze is now sweeping the country; it helps the environment and looks cool— “Green” Architecture. The all the rage building style has even been legislated by Washington State. The legislation now requires all public buildings that are over the size of 25,000 square feet must meet Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) standards. Buildings in Washington State that have LEED certification are state agencies, state colleges and all K-12 schools. The difference between "green" buildings and others is that they use 26 percent less energy than the average commercial buildings. This diffrence also helps save money. When using green buiding materials and appliances operating costs are lower by 9 percent overall. Areas where green building is predicted to rise is in eduction, goverment and healthcare. With education an LEED study showed that students with more natural light coming into the classroom took math tests 20 percent and english tests 26 percent faster than students in classrooms were there was less light coming from windows. The productivity of students increases with a more eco friendly school. So with Malden High School under renovation, the new look of the school could help student's test scores with new classrooms that will have new technology and better lighting. Though test scores are not all that will affect continued on page 14

Table of Contents

A vehicle being worked on in the auto shop. Photo by Lynn Tran More about Malden High School’s new wood shop teacher and technology classes on page 8.

Opinion p.3-4 Local p.5-9 World p.10-13 Style p.14 Entertainment p.15 Sports p.16-20

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Editorials

The Blue and Gold October-November 2009

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from paper to air Malden High School

The Blue and Gold 77 Salem St. Malden, MA 02148

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF David Riemer Ayoub Kourikchi MANAGING AND DESIGN EDITOR Lynn Tran COPY EDITING DIRECTOR An Holmqvist ONLINE EDITOR Alexandra Mathieu HEAD LOCAL NEWS WRITER Nidale Zouhir HEAD ENTERTAINMENT/ OPINION Brittany Foley HEAD SPORTS WRITER Alfonse Femino HEAD OF BUSINESS Haley DeFilippis COPY EDITORS Dan Holmqvist Omar Khoshafa Xavier Leo Brittany McFeeley Joao Nascimento REPORTERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Amanda Adams Lauren Benoit Kayla Bramante Christopher Brown Freddie DiPhillipo Natalie Fallano Alexander Gennigiorgis Megan Kelly Joshua Kummins Johanna Lai Sharon Lee Cristina Peters Catherine Poirier Brendan Provitola Reginah Sanyu Joel Stevenson Alicia Young Paige Yurek ADVISOR Ryan Gallagher Established in 1915 Check out our online edition: http://alexandram6.webs.com/

“Investigative journalists are like the dead rat that was brought to the party. No one likes us,” expressed Seymour Hersh, often noted as the world’s foremost investigative journalist. Hersh’s gritty reporting style has spanned nearly four decades and has exposed countless scandals that include the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War in the seventies and multiple covert Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations against the Soviet Union in the 80s. More recently he has produced several exposés regarding the United States’ frayed relationship with Iran. During his prime, in the 70s, Hersh revolutionized the role of reporting and journalism. Journalists became increasingly dignified as investigative stories were pervasive during that war-torn era. Their purpose quickly transformed reporting on the bare minimum to uncover lies and expose underlying truth. As a result they aroused a newfound sense of curiosity among Americans and ceased to appease the government. Fast forward 30 years later, and we are in the midst of an ailing economy with unemployment rates reaching an unheard of 12 percent in some states. Additionally, reputable newspapers that include Ann Arbor News, and Arizona’s oldest daily newspaper, the Tucson Citizen, have continued to be laid off. Also The New York Times, our nation’s quintessential newspaper, administered a five percent salary cut in addition to 100 layoffs from their newsroom as recently as last month, and even considered shutting down the Boston Globe following multiple budget cuts. Numerous other newspapers continue to endure losses of revenue as their audience shifts from conventional print publications toward Internet blogs that may contain misinformation. This form of multimedia has garnered legions of subscribers who are essentially reading diluted information for free. Despite a lack of resources and funds, newspapers continue to send reporters abroad in order to cover noteworthy stories. In Aug.

25, 2009, The New York Times Magazine published a cover story that documented a hospital that euthanized patients in the wake of hurricane Katrina. The price tag on the 13,000-word piece was projected by Nieman Journalism Lab to have cost a staggering $400,000 by Nieman Journalism Lab, a non profit organization which attempts to help journalism figure out its future in an Internet age. Although the story is accompanied by a hefty price tag, it is representative of good investigative journalism. As Clara Jeffery, a member of the Nieman Journalism Lab pointed out, “it could result in criminal prosecutions and should result in a national conversation among doctors and hospitals around their triage and emergency procedures.” This Katrina story is demonstrative of how many successful journalistic endeavors affect the pockets of the newspaper industry, and it raises the question: how much longer will this industry be able to shell out large sums of money to cover momentous events? Judging from current trends, the future of the print industry appears bleak. As our world becomes increasingly reliant on technology, it is inevitable that the Internet will reign as the predominant medium for news. But how will we continue to cultivate and uphold journalistic integrity and thinking? Let us just hope that Hersh and other esteemed rats continue to use journalism as a potential vehicle of change.

Ayoub Kourikchi Co-Editor-in-Chief

Corrections:

Editorial Policy The Blue and Gold is an open forum for student expression. It is produced by students for the school and the community. The views presented in this paper are not necessarily those of the advisor or the school administration. The views presented in the editorials are those of the editors-in-chief or guests. The goal of The Blue and Gold is to inform and entertain students as well as the community regarding issues that we feel are important. We strongly encourage readers to respond to material printed in the form of signed letters to the editors. No libelous, malicious, defamatory, obscene, or unsigned material will be printed. The Blue and Gold reserves the right to edit the letters. Names may be withheld upon request. Not all letters will be printed. Although The Blue and Gold appreciates the support of advertisers, we may refuse any advertisement that violates the above policy or that promotes products questionable to student use. Any correspondence concerning this publication should be directed to Mr. Ryan Gallagher’s room in A103 or to his mailbox in the main office.

The Blue and Gold c/o Malden High School 77 Salem Street Malden, MA 02148

Page 1: Marcos Almeida’s last name was spelled wrong. All photos on page 7 were taken by Sharon Lee. Page 5: Ted Kennedy’s was born in 1932 not 1935. Page 5: The quote from Barack Obama was addressed on September 8. Page 6: In the article “9/11: Just another History Lesson” the relationship that Greg Hurley’s “best friend”died on flight 11 was misidentified. He should have been referred to as an acquaintance Page 7: The names of the people at the lunch table are Mandy Liao, Jonathan Sit, Kerry Huynh, and Teresa La Page 9: Layout and design credit for the fall festival were by Lynn Tran Page 11: The photo with a missing photo caption is of Ms. Shadeed. Page 12: The name of the lunch staff members are Rossana Agostiavo, Natalie Freeman, Paul Romeo, and Trisha Selfridge Corrections to the editor can be submitted to [email protected]

The Blue and Gold October-November 2009

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Opinion http://alexandram6.webs.com/

The Present State of the Nation’s Future An Holmqvist Copy Editing Director

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hen I turned eighteen last month, I thought “Wow! Now I can finally vote!” and I was genuinely excited. But does everyone feel this way? Young people are not too attracted to local elections; however, the elections for City Council this past November have a strong impact on the community. A vote on the ballot could have repealed or kept the Pay As You Throw (PAYT) program. For an eighteen-year-old high school student, the School Committee election would affect where funding will go for school. The representatives for the City Council election would affect whether your younger siblings would be able to go to the mall after 8 PM. And what is more? Your vote for the City Council would count more – one out of less than ten thousand – than your vote for State Senator or your vote for president, which numbers as just one vote among two hundred million other registered American voters. This is why I ask why students today do not seem to take their right to vote seriously. Before hitting the poll booths, I ran into one of my middle school teachers who told a nice little story about what her family does when one of their kids goes to vote for the first time. The parents would take pictures; they would go out to dinner; they would say congratulations. For them, voting was a milestone, a privilege. For me, however, as well as many other students, voting is just another fact of turning eighteen. My mother stood outside of the Linden School that day waiting to pick me up and take me home simple so that I could finish my homework. I voted for the first time in my life, and then I went home to finish math homework. No celebration was necessary. For other students, voting is not really something worth leaving the house for – especially if they do not know how to. Misinformation is a huge part of why young people choose not to vote. “It would be nice if we knew who we were voting for and what kind of power each position holds,” explained Malden High School senior Keith Newman. The city should tell its first-time voters who the candidates are and how they can vote. It should be the government’s responsibility to motivate the entire population to vote; that should also include our young residents. In addition to that, it should be the media’s responsibility to encourage young people to vote – not just for their own benefits, but also for the society. In response to why he opted out of the local elections this month, Newman stated that “it wasn’t really [his] life on the line.” And I agree with him. As seniors, we have only continued on page 4

letter to the editors In response to last the last edition of The Blue and Gold’s focus on domestic and international healthcare items, we received a letter to the editor from Gaelle Wagnac, a senior from Malden High School.

By Gaelle Wagnac

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hen I was growing up, I rarely got along with my brother Kiki. We were the same age and we always competed for attention. Sometimes when we were not fighting, we would seat next to each other and tell each other our future plans. Kiki’s plan was to go live in France after his college graduation. Unfortunately, Kiki never got to live his dream. His life was cut short at age 10 when he died of HIV. At the time, I was too young to understand what was going on. I visited him everyday at the facility where he was hospitalized for over a month before he passed away. I will never forget one day when my siblings and I went to visit him at the hospital; he was happy and smiling the whole time. In my mind, it didn’t make sense that someone in his state could be that happy. He was unable to eat or walk to the bathroom by himself, so why was he smiling? What was there for him to smile about? I would never understand why he had that smile on. That was the last time I saw him alive. Growing up in Haiti I knew about poverty. I remember the day I went to visit my grandmother in the lower part of Haiti and I saw kids running around without clothing and they were very thin as if they had not eaten for a month. Some of them were walking around bleeding, and nobody seemed to notice. However, until my brother’s death, poverty had never affected me directly. My brother died because we could not afford HIV drugs since they are very expensive in Haiti. Knowing that Kiki would still be alive if he had access to drugs makes me think about all the other Haitian children in the same situation today. I know I can’t bring him back but maybe I can help another child live past their tenth birthday. Ever since I moved to the United States, my goal has always been to get educated and return to Haiti to work with local hospitals and clinics in providing care for HIV positive patients. I especially want to work with children since many of them have no place to live, they have no health insurance, and since they don’t have the money they can’t even go to the hospital. I understand it is a big commitment, but I’m willing to do anything in my power to help those kids in Kiki’s memory. I know I will not be able to change Haiti but if I can change one child’s life for the better, it will be worth a try. Letters to the editor can be submitted to [email protected]

The fall play is Jean Anouilh’s Antigone. The dates are November 20th and 21st @ 7:00 p.m. at the Malden Senior Center on Pleasant Street. Tickets are $5 at the door.

SPIRIT WEEK IS COMING UP MONDAY 23rd: PAJAMA DAY TUESDAY 24th: WACKY TACKY DAY WEDNESDAY 25th: BLUE GOLD

PLACE YOUR AD HERE

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Talk is Cheap Joao Nascimento Copy Editor

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The Effects of Obama’s Nobel Prize

he Nobel Peace Prize is considered one of the world’s most virtuous recognitions. Every year since 1901, a committee in Norway decides who should be awarded for their efforts to promote world peace. This same committee, on Oct. 9, 2009, announced that President Barack Obama would be this year’s recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” The premature accolade rightfully elicited controversy and praise around the globe, as well as a great debate between Democrats and Republicans. What could Obama have done so early in his presidency that merited such an honor? It turns out that he did not have the time to accomplish much. The deadline to submit nominations for the prize was Feb. 1, 2009, a date that marked the president’s mere 12th day in office. Judging by this fact, it is only fair that political leaders and the media met his win with anger and skepticism. YouTube star Philip DeFranco posted a video in response to the public’s reaction in which he stated, “My problem is people getting angry. Really? You’re angry that [Obama] got a Nobel Peace Prize which literally changes nothing and

affects you in zero way?” The video, which boasts almost one million views, reflects how many teenagers perceive the Nobel Peace Prize. Few know that Obama received a $1.4 million cash prize to accompany the “Nobel Laureate” addition to his résumé. This is valuable money that could be have been converted into funds for a worthy institution that is trying to promote peace with scarce resources. The notion that a Nobel Peace Prize does not have the power to affect us directly is absurd. In 2007, Al Gore won the prize for his “efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change,” and he has an excellent track record to show. Gore helped raise millions of dollars for institutions that fight against global climate change when he funded The Alliance for Climate Change and organized the “Live Earth” benefit concerts. It is also hard to disagree that after his documentary An Inconvenient Truth hit theaters, media coverage on global warming and environmental issues exponentially increased. Global climate change affects each and every one of us, and so does war. Ironically, Obama won a peace prize when the United States is deeply entangled in wars in Iraq

It’s Not Easy Being Green BY CHRIS BROWN

and Afghanistan, and the president gave strong indications that he will raise the number of troops in the latter. Soldiers and civilians still die under Obama’s leadership, and there is no accurate prediction for the end of the wars It would be hard to point out another president whose celebrity status matches Obama’s. During his presidential campaign, thousands of people bought shirts stamped with the president’s face and the word “hope” in predominant chain stores such as Urban Outfitters. Soon enough, the print designed by Shepard Fairey was used by thousands of teenagers and several Malden High School students as Facebook profile pictures. Obama also has two #1 New York Times best sellers under his belt, a feat many professional writers can not achieve. It is safe to affirm that everyone has their eyes on the president and his policies, and the Nobel committee took advantage of that. The Nobel committee relied on the principle that by observing an entity, one alters how it behaves. By picking Obama as the 2009 Nobel laureate, they picked a symbol for the end of George W. Bush’s antagonistic world politics and hopefully a vehicle to prevent nuclear proliferation, end the war in Iraq, and focus on a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There is great concern that the prize’s notoriety is being used mainly as a slap to Bush’s face rather than to honor a greater cause. Obama has not accomplished enough to deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, and only nine months in office is not enough time to do so. This hasty decision made by the committee risks jeopardizing the award’s prestige and tarnishing its credibility. Obama stated in the Rose Garden that he does not feel like he “deserve[s] to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize,” and many agree. Although he has talked about his ambitions extensively in his campaign, the world is still waiting for Obama to make deeper change in the US’s foreign policies, and fast. Obama has yet to achieve a breakthrough with how America is viwed in the Middle East. The shocking decision of Obama’s win is only one of the many questionable decisions the Nobel committee has made. Picking a man to receive one of the world’s most distinct honors due to his promising campaign despite lack of action makes it almost as undignified as Adolf Hitler’s 1939 nomination.

The Blue and Gold October-November 2009 continued from page 3 seven or eight months of residency left in Malden before we graduate and move out of the city. Then why should we vote on the school committee, if we are not going to be around for the committee’s latest measures? But as people, we should vote, if only for our siblings and for our fellow students. As people, we should vote, and we should vote in more than just the national elections. The greatest example of how young voters affect greater politics happened last year when many, many young voters under the age of thirty came out to vote for nowPresident Barack Obama. “Rock The Vote” and Barack Obama’s other campaign organizations mobilized this particular demographic extraordinarily well, bringing up the young voter numbers up by well over ten percentage points in some states. However, this year, during the midterm elections for numerous governors and state representatives across the country, younger voters stayed home. According to the Los Angeles Times, under-30 voters disappeared in margins of up to ten percent of their respective electorates in New Jersey and Virginia. Then again, nobody expected these people to come out and vote. The mere fact that nobody expects young people to vote is unsettling. They call us the millennial generation; the young people who are intricately connected to one another and to the world by the internet through social networking and email. But they do not expect us to vote. Generally young people love going to the polls for the nation but not the community. Young people are attracted by big ideas and the thought that they can affect what is done on the government’s highest level. However, voting should mean more than picking our president for the under-30s. It should mean choosing the government that will make the best decisions for our lives. On the city level, that means choosing a council that will affect our daily lives after not months or years, but mere weeks. If only local governments could do a better job of telling us young people what to do, or how to do it, then perhaps young voters and voters-soon-to-be would pay attention. Few people would walk up to eighteen-year-olds like myself or mail a letter telling us: “Go up to the second floor of City Hall and take a left to register to vote.” After registering, nobody tells us who the candidates are or why we should vote for any one of them. I have to admit that I was not particularly informed for my first election. I did not know more than half of the people on my ballot. But should I blame myself for that? After all, none of the candidates for Councilor-at-Large or School Committee decided to mail me a letter, even though my family’s kitchen table was swamped with political newsletters addressed to my mother. Do I not have a right to know who these people are?

The Blue and Gold October-November 2009

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TRASH TAX: No Votes, No Repeal Johanna Lai

Omar Khoshafa

Reporter

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n June 26, 2008, the trash tax program in Malden passed. The trash tax program is also known as the "Pay as You Throw Program" or PAYT. Officials of the Malden City Council stated on Boston.com for Malden that the main point for this act was to raise at least $2.5 million and save $600,000 in solid waste disposals. There has always been a tax on trash, however now, residents have to pay at least two dollars for each blue trash bag they buy. Mayor Richard Howard had a meeting with Malden’s City Council October 20th, 2009. “I do believe that erasing this program will cause the city council and my office to make some extremely difficult budget cuts.” Howard also told the Boston website that Malden raised an estimate of $2 million and saved about eight hundred dollars in the disposal costs last year. Malden High School students have their opinions on the idea of the trash tax. Sophomore Samantha Lee stated that, “The trash tax is basically not a bad idea because it encourages people to do more recycling. As they reduce the amount of trash, the more money they can save.” Freshman Maria Gil stated, “I think it is a good idea and I admire it because it is good for the environment.” Freshman Muhammed Raja believes “I think the trash tax

notes from The Charter Reform Comittee, Tuesday Oct 27th

is a bad thing, because I’m throwing away trash and now I have to pay to do it which does not make any sense at all.” Several Malden City Council candidates believe that the trash tax impacts the environment. Councilor-At-Large Greg Lucey stated, "The trash program is a good idea; people buy less trash bags, and it's good for the environment." He also said that on "trash day, the city is cleaner because the program is making people recycle more and the streets looks a lot more cleaner compared to other sites." Councilor At Large Candidate Deborah Fallon stated that "I don’t like the PAYT program at all." Councilor at Large Candidate David D'Ancangelo expressed “People who are environmental prefer the PAYT because it is good for the environment." On Election Day, 28, 471 people registered as voters for the trash tax question and only 8,508 voters or 30 percent of the registered voters’ votes were in the polls. 5,672 voters said “yes” to repeal the trash tax and 2,160 people voted “no” on the trash tax repeal and 586 of the voters left the question blank. Even though the ballot question voted yes, the trash tax program is now confirmed that it will not be repealed due to the shortage of the required votes.

Reporter • The City Council made it easier for ballot questions to pass. • Previous to this year, a vote to overturn an initiative such as the PAYT program required at least a vote from 1/3 of the electorate. For upcoming votes, the rule has been changed because only 30% of the population showed up to the polls this year. • The Charter Reform Committee voted on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to reduce the threshold percentage to 15 percent to accommodate the needs of voters today. • This is a result of fewer voters coming out to vote on Election Day. • It may take a year in order for this proposal to become a law. The proposal must go through the full City Council for approval, then to Mayor Richard Howard’s office for signing, then to the State Legislature then finally to the Governor’s office in order for it to become a law. • This would then come into effect for the Malden city elections in the 2011 city elections.

Councillor Seats

School Committe Seats

Ward 1 - GARY J CHRISTENSON Ward 2- PAUL A. CONDON Ward 3- PAUL J. DIPIETRO Ward 4- JAMES M. NESTOR Ward 5- BARBARA M. MURPHY Ward 6- NEIL C. KINNON Ward 7- NEAL ANDERSON Ward 8- JUDITH BUCCI

Ward 1- PEG CROWE Ward 2- STEVEN ULTRINO Ward 3- KEVIN DUFFY Ward 4- LEONARD V. IOVINO Ward 5- ADAM WELDAI Ward 6- STEPHEN P. WINSLOW Ward 7- KEVIN CASUCCI Ward 8- JOHN H. FROIO

Would You Eliminate the Trash Tax? 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

190

90

Yes

Yes No

No

MHS students voted on whether or not to eliminate the trash tax.

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Local news

The Blue and Gold October-November 2009

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Photos by Catherine Poirier and Sharon Lee

MHS Class Officer 2010

Pictured from left to right: President Stephanie Apollon; Vice President Elaine Tam & Sam Warton; Secretary David Riemer; Treasurer Jimmy Vo; Historian Adil El Karmach

Class Officers 2011

President Kerri Shuman; Vice President Heather Thompson; Secretary Monika Bashllari & Alisha Hines; Treasurer Brithney Joseph & Phedorah Rosiclair; Historian Nicole Johnson & Portia Johnson

Class Officers 2012

President Jessica Hien; Vice President Nina Ho; Secretary Juan Watson; Treasurer Karina Hong; Historian Amanda Adams & Paige Yurek; Editor/Publisher Harris Zhao; Captain of Homeroom Reps. Immasculate Mutebi A Streetlight Photo by Lauren Benoit

Xavier Leo Copy Editor

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ver the course of the next few weeks, Malden city council members will be deciding on one of the more controversial issues pertaining to the youth of the city: a curfew. For the past 18 years, the city has been curfew-free, and from a statistical point of view, has not been impacted negatively because of it. According to Chief of Police Kenneth Coye, “Juvenile arrests make up less than 6 percent of the city’s crime. 954 arrests have been made this year, and only 55 of those have been juvenile arrests. Of those 55 arrests, 11 have been after 9 p.m.,” stated Chief of Police Kenneth Coye, adding that he was opposed to having a potential curfew. If it were to be set, the curfew would be, would be established at 9 p.m. and would only pertain to those 17 years old and under. Any violation of the curfew would result in a fine or community service. On the other hand, city council member Neil Kinnon of Ward 6 is a long time proponent of the curfew and believes that a clampdown on young late-night wanderers would improve the study habits of adolescents throughout the city. According to a Stanford University researching group, “Adolescents need 9 hours and 15 minutes of sleep. Sleep deprivation can impair memory and inhibit creativity making it difficult for sleep deprived

students to learn.” This idea also supports another of Kinnon’s points; “If a student is out late at night they cannot possibly get enough sleep and thus they are late for school, miss school or are sleeping through school. All three lead to bad grades and in many cases ultimately to higher chance of dropping out.” Whether or not it is a lack of sleep it that has caused this issue, Malden High School’s statistics over the past few years speak for themselves. The drop out rate for MHS is 5.2 percent, while the state average is 3.4 percent. Furthermore, MHS’s attendance and graduation rates are 93.9 percent and 72.3 percent, respectively. Both of these numbers are also below the state average, which are at 94.6 percent and 81.2 percent. In accordance with these numbers, a curfew seems to be a feasible option, especially if one is to consider the future of the city’s youth. Nevertheless, one must also reflect on the issue from the other side of the spectrum; that being from a crime standpoint. As Barbara Dafoe Whitehead noted in her seminal article for The Atlantic Monthly: “High school dropouts are three and a half times more likely than high school graduates to be arrested and eight times as likely to be in jail

or prison.” Malden’s dropout rate is 38% higher than it was in 2001. If the statements made in Whitehead’s report were to hold true, then the safety of this city in the future appears to be bleak. Proponents of the curfew, such as Kinnon, view education as part of the solution to break these trends and believe that setting a curfew in place would be one part of the solution. There has been a rise in the numbers of dropouts in recent years, and the number of juvenile arrests has remained relatively low, making up about 17 percent of total arrests this year. When compared to general standards of time, 9 p.m. may seem a little early, but Malden’s city council suggests that any number of scenarios may occur where underaged individuals could still be out at that hour. The city council has deemed it worthy to continue to have discussions and debates regarding this issue. As those discussions continue to unfold, more information will become available, and the city may indeed begin to find itself under closer watch.

The Blue and Gold October-November 2009

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City Councillors-At-Large Vow to Change Malden Haley Defillipis Business Manager Cristina Peters Reporter

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n Oct. 28, 2009, candidates for Councilor-at-Large Craig Spadafora, Jeff Donahue, Brian O’Boyle, Greg Lucey, Deborah Fallon, and David D’Arcangelo, candidates for Councilor at Large, debated in a forum at the Malden Senior Center. Hosted by the Metro North chapter of Massachusetts Senior Action Council (MSAC), Malden Access Television (MATV), as well as Healthy Malden, the forum consisted of two one-hour sessions. In the discussion, the candidates were asked questions by members of the MSAC followed by a panel led by journalists. All six candidates agreed on a few things: money from the city account needs to be put towards the city workers (policemen, firemen, etc), the downtown area of Malden needs to be expanded and modernized, making it more appealing to the public, and that the issue of safety must be addressed, as it has been a rising concern for the citizens in Malden. Although each councilor-at-large candidate planned on addressing these matters in different ways, they all believe that these issues need to be taken care of as soon as possible, not only to restore order, structure, and modernization back into the city, but also to better the community as a whole. The idea of working with the Maldonians, and feeling as though they also need to remain open-minded towards trying to “do what the people want” was something that was greatly seen throughout each of their campaigns as well as their responses to the question asked at the public forum. The trash tax repeal often came up as an issue during the debate. Although voters backed the measure by an almost three to one ratio, it failed because the city by law requires one third of the registered voters, which in this case is about 9,500, to vote in favor of a ballot question in order for it to be passed.

This raised the question of what will be done with the trash tax, with the concern that not enough people in Malden are getting out to vote. The first candidate running for Councilor-at-Large was D’Arcangelo, member of the Malden Rotary, the Malden Chamber of Commerce, the Public Relations Society of America as well as several other organizations. Using a system of incentive based rewards, where the more waste recycled, the more benefits received was a more efficient system that he planned to use in Malden. One of D’Arcangelo’s main goals as Councilor-at-Large was to address issues revolving around Malden’s energy consumption, by planting trees, analyzing the use of waterways, as well as developing solar and wind energy programs and biodiesel. D’Arcangelo had planned to take action throughout the city, and improve the traffic flow, and enhance waste removal. D’Arcangelo had intended to use his experience and skill to “move Malden forward”. Serving the Malden community for several years, Craig Spadafora believes that it is “vital for city officials to focus on the issues that are most important to residents, such as keeping up with street and sidewalk maintenance, parking and school safety.” After being elected to one of the three spots for Councilorat-Large, Spadafora believes in making an effort to improve the Malden community by using technology to try and allow the citizens in Malden to no longer feel there is a languagebarrier, such as by translating the city website into various languages, as Councilor-at-Large. His main focus is to resolve problems within the city, by stating “my job is to make sure we have fireman, policeman, and teachers at schools.” He also said, “Protecting community character and encouraging revital-

ization are twin goals for the City of Malden,” something that he hopes to do. Deborah Fallon was the sole female candidate for Councilorat-Large. She formed an awardwinning law enforcement program, EVAPorate Violence with the Everett Police Department Fallon was awarded at the United Nations for her work to end violent crimes, leading her to founding the Portal of Hope, a crisis intervention program in Malden, Everett, Lynn, Medford and Winthrop. Fallon stated, “I am a very different candidate… for one, I am the daughter of state representative, Tom Fallon and very proud of my family’s history as we have greatly contributed to charity work.” Using the input of Maldonians to make changes within the city, Fallon promises to ensure that each and every citizen in Malden’s voice is heard. Jeff Donahue served in the council from 2000 to 2008. Donahue stated “We need experience. I have that experience. I will be the voice of concern for citizens and residents of Malden.” If elected, Donahue planned to propose a limit to spending, as it is a fiscal accountability. Donahue believed the money in the account the Malden dollars are still going to be spent, but should be done reasonably. Working with businesses to secure commerce and repair the Malden economy, Donahue stated, “[We] cannot wait for development to pick up… [and] need to be proactive with a plan to encourage responsible business and commerce developments that would have a steady tax base while fostering sustainable jobs for local residents.” Life time resident of Malden, and the re-elected Councilor-atLarge, who received the most votes,

CITY

IL C N U O C

Results of Councilorat-large election: Greg Lucey: 1,645 votes Craig Spadafora: 1,531 votes Deborah Fallon: 1,446 votes David D’Arcangelo: 1,000 votes Jeff Donahue: 897 votes Brian O’Boyle: 336

Greg Lucey promised to always have a “strong commitment to and support our city.” Unlike the other candidates who plan to take direct and immediate action on the relocation of City Hall, Lucey believes that the improvements being made in the city of Malden must be “balanced by a realistic grasp of the challenges of living within a budget that is always tight” while being able to accommodate citizens with the basic services and needs that they have the right to. Lucey plans to serve the citizens of Malden as skilled and open-minded, working towards making the most crucial and beneficial changes to the city. Having over 20 years of real estate brokerage development experience in the city of Malden, Brian O’Boyle planned to ensure citizens with the experience necessary to address the main issues in the city during this difficult economic time if elected. Determined to “invest interest in school and city workers properly,” O’Boyle planned to give the citizens detailed information about city happenings and allow them to hold their representatives accountable to what they say they would do. O’Boyle believed his background in real estate is exactly what the city needs to “get back to the way it needs to be again.” O’Boyle planned to use the support of the Maldonians, to allow him to continuously strive to remain informed of issues affecting the city so that each individual has an equal opportunity to voice their opinion on what they believe most matters. With Lucey, Spadafora, and Fallon elected, Malden may be facing some big changes ahead that could make the city a safer and more enjoyable place to live.

ELECTIONS

Council Members Photo by Lauren Benoit

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The Future And Present OF Vocational Education continued on page 1 seven class, Vachon teaches Technology and Engineering and said that it “entails designing a system, building that system according to your designs, and then testing that system to make sure it performs the required tasks.” When asked about his first impression of Malden High School, he stated, “I really like the school and the kids are fantastic.” He has two daughters, one who graduated from Syracuse University and another who studies Architecture there. Vachon, an Assumption College graduate who grew up in Worcester and currently resides in Burlington, aspires “to have an exciting year with [his] students, and to increase the number of classes next year.” Vachon believes that vocational education is helpful; it offers a more hands-on classroom experience, which “gives the student a stronger selling point for either further schooling or work, whichever is the correct thing for them [sic].” Bazzinotti noted that he used to be one of thirty teachers who taught skilled labor classes, which ranged from electrical and plumbing, to metals and graphic arts/design, but now he is one of only two left. “There are a lot of kids that are looking for career skills, but some might be into a different trade,” stated Bazzinotti about Malden High’s lack of choices in the Tech-Ed department. Vachon said that Vocational education has changed greatly and that over the past sixteen years many teachers have even fought the changes. He also said that this has only made him become more selfsufficient. For those that are looking for more skilled labor options at MHS, there is promise and hope on the horizon. Bazzinotti said “Some people are starting to understand what we [Vachon and Bazzinotti] are doing.” Another positive step is that four Malden school committee members, John Froio, Lenny Iovino, Gladys Rivera-Rogers, and Steve Winslow, along with Malden Public Schools superintendent, Sid Smith, Holland House principal Marilyn Slattery, Director of Guidance Manjula Karamcheti, and Bazzinotti have joined together to help form a new “Vocational Committee,” which is discussing some future plans for these types of offerings at Malden High. “Not every kid is going to college…they need job training,” said Bazzinotti. Smith said that the committee is “analyzing where we are now and where we are going” and that he wants the programs to lead into “solid employment opportunities” for the students that take the courses. He also noted that the committee is discussing future programs,

which would provide students with an opportunity to participate in a vocational and educational experience that will lead into employment or further education. The programs will also be designed to provide students with lasting skills that will enhance their lives or future economic standing. For those that are looking to continue their educational careers, MHS has participated in engineering programs at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. Malden students have also received articulation agreements from area colleges. Articulation agreements are when students are given college credit for taking a technology class, like Bazzinotti’s auto shop class, for their entire four years at Malden. Malden students have received these agreements from schools like the New England Institute of Technology, the Ben Franklin Institute, Massachusetts Bay Community College, and Universal Technical Institute. The school’s ongoing renovations could also play an impact in the future of vocational education at MHS, as there is talk that parts of the building will be renovated for vocational usage. According to Smith, money has also been set aside in the renovation budget to help future programs. Roger Broddie, the Assistant Project Manager of the current renovation project, said that there about two dozen types of jobs on the current renovation, which totals to about sixty people. His full-time job entitles him to “monitor construction for the owner’s interest” and consult with MHS principal Dana Brown about three times weekly, to get a sense of what is going on at the time in construction. Pay of the workers varies, but Broddie noted that each worker must be paid the prevailing wage. The prevailing wage is a mandatory pay, set by the state of Massachusetts, which ranges anywhere from twenty to sixty dollars. Most of the workers do not have a college education, but do have experience from a trade school, like the ones that Bazzinotti mentioned. In contrast, most of the project management personnel do have college education, like Broddie, who studied Construction Engineering Technology at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston.

The Wood Shop and Auto Shop Rooms Photos by Lynn Tran

Types of jobs

Payscale



25th%ile

Median

75th%ile

Public School Teacher Police Officer Firemen EMT Carpenter Plumber Electrician Automotive Technician 1 Automotive Technician 2 Automotive Technician 3

$49,901 $47,091 $34,432 $29,047 $36,844 $38,114 $39,796 $28,984 $42,279 $49,591

$57,192 $56,520 $45,909 $32,953 $43,674 $44,339 $47,540 $32,571 $48,589 $58,129

$66,285 $66,683 $57,386 $37,523 $53,001 $52,320 $55,674 $38,444 $56,403 $64,972

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New Program Guides Students To Success Sharon Lee Reporter

MHS Welcomes New Tutors

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here has been a new addition to Malden High School known as PASS (Providing Academic Student Support). On Oct. 5th the PASS program was officially established as a part of MHS. This program was designed to offer help and support to any students who may need help academically or just a quiet place to sit and do work. Working with the coordinators of this program are MHS staff, Arlene Ceppetelli, Patricia Laidley, and Manjula Karamcheti, are the three in-school tutors, Paula Valente, John Malone, and Jenelle Baldassari. Pass Peer Tutoring is being sponsored and offered to the students of MHS through a grant from the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). The grant was a percentage of stimulus money from the state of Massachusetts given to Malden High School towards education. After only being in progress for only five weeks the program is gradually improving. Currently there are about a total of a hundred students that come throughout the day and of those hundred students, thirty of them are student-athletes. This program is especially recommended to student athletes because it helps keep them on track with academics as well as being involved in extracurricular activities. Malone stated, “We have had difficulty get-

ting the word out and gaining the attention of the student body by starting halfway through the first semester. However, we have had a positive turnout each day and a gradual start so we expect growing numbers in the second semester.” The PASS Peer Tutoring Program is new to MHS and so are the three in-school tutors. Valente is a math and science teacher that graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine. Baldassari is in fact a Malden High School graduate from the Class of 2000 as well as a writer for The Blue and Gold newspaper. After graduating high school she extended her education as an English major at Northeastern University and has become a certified English teacher. Just last year Baldassari was an English teacher at the Ferryway School before coming to MHS. Similarly, Malone has also worked in the Malden school system as a history teacher at the Salemwood School. Although he currently teaches history in Malden the Northeastern University graduate majored in criminal justice. During his years as a criminal justice major Malone was involved in co-op jobs and one of the many were at the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office in the Juvenile Unit. As a juvenile investigator he was able to

Jenelle Baldassari tutoring Warren Sharpp Photo by Sharon Lee work with many young adults and that led him to realize the difficulties and obstacles young adults experience. After years of working in the criminal justice system, he discovered that what he really wanted was to concentrate on how he could focus on improving education for young adults. “The transition from a middle school to the high school is different because the students are older and we would expect more from them. However I love how so many students and staff help invest in our program,” said Malone and Baldassari. All three of the in-school tutors are kind and strive to offer support to any student possible but that can only be done if you let them. If students are looking for any help at all in any subject areas, all three of the in-school tutors wel-

come them to stop by either before school, after school, or during any free period of the day (except period 5). Besides offering all day tutoring in C326, they also travel throughout the building to help tutor students in certain areas. Teachers may refer students to join the PASS Program by filling out a simple form that is available at the classroom. There will be help provided in all subject areas either by one of the three inschool tutors or one of the many tutors. Help is available in various academic subjects and each inschool tutor has a specific subject that they are best in. When students come for help Valente covers Math and Science, Malone covers History, Baldassari covers English, and peer tutors choose to offer help in which ever subjects are most suitable.

Walking for Diabetes is Key Chris Brown Reporter

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n Saturday, October 24, 2009, the American Diabetes Association hosted the Step Out Walk to Fight Diabetes in Boston, Massachusetts, which was supported by radio stations and companies, as well as large volunteer groups including Malden High School’s Key Club. After the volunteers finished setting up and the walkers were all signed in, they visited the sponsors’ booths to receive free items including bumper stickers, notepads and overnight bags. Booths included Boston radio station, Mix 104.1 and Roche Diagnostics’ Accu-Chek, which is a brand of supposedly painless blood sugar testing devices to help those with diabetes. The walkers then gathered to do warm up exercises led by Boston dance instructor, Denise Harrington and Channel Five anchor/reporter, Shiba Russell. Local Boston-area band, the A.M Dials played a classic rock set including the Beatles’ “Come Together” and Survivor’s “Eye of the

Tiger.” Thirteen year old, Travers Larkin, who was recently diagnosed with diabetes, cut the ropes to lead the walk around the Boston Common area in the drizzling rain. All of the walkers were reminded of what they were fighting: diabetes. It is a very serious disease that approximately 23.6 million Americans have which has led to over 233,000 deaths per year, the seventh leading cause of death nationally. The disease affects insulin creation, which breaks down sugars and can be caused by poor health choices. An event like this needs plenty of help so that more money can go to the cause. Volunteers arrived early to assist set up and stayed until the event was completely finished. Of the volunteer groups, the MHS Key Club contributed greatly to the volunteer work they were assigned. The members who came to the event were asked to divide into small groups and stand at different

entrances of the Boston Common to greet the arriving walkers. After all of the walkers were in the event area, the Key Club was to give directions when the walk started and help out with anything the walkers or officials needed. Out of the entire Key Club, 32 members appeared which was one of the greatest amounts of volunteer groups, according to the event staff. Junior and Key Club Secretary, Andrew Chen thinks very highly of the club this year. “The outputs of the six walks so far have been very high. The Key Club has a lot of committed members this year who want to work and volunteer, not just for service hours and seeing their friends, but for the joy of helping others,” stated Chen. A group of freshmen who proved Chen’s statement included Haley Dowdie, Jasmine Ellison, Natalie Melo, Gabby Rocha and Danielle Aguinaldl. The girls greeted walkers with a creative and entertaining

jingle, which encouraged them to fight diabetes. The girls agreed that the Key Club’s volunteer work is for a good cause and is fun as well. Another freshman, Tina Dinh likes doing greeting, but wasn’t thrilled with the attitude of some walkers. “Sometimes, no one comes, and if they do come, they usually ignore the greeters,” Dinh explained. Freshman, Hieu Vo on the other hand, does not like greeting. “It’s gets me aggravated, I hate talking to people, but I like helping out and getting service hours in return,” Vo stated. The Key Club’s helping hand at the event was greatly appreciated by the walkers and the event staff alike.

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For many years, the Middle East has been one of the most turbulent regions of the world, ripe with seemingly never-ending conflicts. Despite the United States’ nearconstant intervention, most of the Middle East remains a dangerous war-zone – yet simultaneously, it is one of the most important economic areas of the world, with a surplus of oil and other fuels. As the amount of soldiers in Iraq dwindles according President Barack Obama’s hopeful withdrawal date of August 2010, turmoil in the rest of the Middle East continues to kill dozens each day.

A Closer Look

The Middle East www.oilempire.us

Iran: A Country Ready To Talk Or Explode? Nidale Zouhir Head of Local News

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The Iranian government still hides from the limelight of world politics – even as student protests persist - while Western countries such as the U.S. continue to fruitlessly insist on peaceful talks regarding nuclear proliferation.

hen former President George W. Bush called Iran part of the Middle Eastern “axis of evil” in 2002, he — like most of the world — was unaware of the beginnings of Iran’s nuclear developments. Only four years later, the Iranian government announced that it had succeeded in uranium enrichment, with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calling nuclear development Iran’s “inalienable right.” Now, despite the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty that Iran (and nearly every other recognized country in the world) willingly signed in 1968, the threat of an Iranian nuclear bomb returns. Parts of a confidential United Nation analysis that leaked in early October 2009 revealed that Iran not only has plans to develop this bomb, but has “sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable” nuclear weapon.

The report also describes this blueprint, giving the disturbing image of a missile with the ability to strike the Middle East and parts of Europe. On Oct. 29, 2009, Iran issued a statement detailing a plan to ship 70 percent of its enriched uranium to Russia. This plan, however, called for sending the uranium to Russia in stages as opposed to all at once, leaving Iran with enough uranium on hand at any time to create a bomb. The U.N.-approved version of the plan included enriching Iran’s nuclear energy and converting it to a safe fuel source before returning it to Iran. Iran, however, rejected this. In response, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton threatened “crippling sanctions” on Iranian trade; however, thus far, it is unlikely that such powerful U.N. members as Russia and China will follow. Speaking in Morocco on Nov.

2, 2009, Clinton revealed that the US is not altering the deal that the U.N. originally had with Iran, stating that Iran’s acceptance of the proposal “would be a good indication that Iran does not wish to be isolated and does wish to cooperate with the international community.” Iran, meanwhile, continues to insist that its nuclear developments will be used purely for research and energy. However, Iran’s test-detonation of a missile in July of 2008, as well as in May of 2009, revealed that any weapons they develop will be capable of reaching Israel, a nation that (among others) President Ahmadinejad has revealed hatred for. Iran’s anti-foreigner sentiment is so strong that during this summer’s election controversy, foreign media was banned from the country, forcing news outlets in the rest of the world to resort to traditionally

unreliable sources like Twitter and YouTube for updates on the crisis. Meanwhile, while the election controversy is now rarely covered in US news in light of Afghanistan’s recent re-election of Hamid Karzai and the even more recent American elections, protests continue among Iranian citizens. Even Ahmadinejad’s opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, continues to call for a new vote, maintaining his disbelief at Ahmadinejad’s win. The Iranian government, clearly catching wind of this, has begun what can only be called an “Internet crackdown,” threatening to treat cyber-crime – essentially anti-Iranian government posts on social networking sites – with the same harshness as armed robbery.

The Blue and Gold October-November 2009

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Afghanistan: A War Worth Fighting For? Alexandra Mathieu Online Editor The US has been at war with the Taliban regime for eight years, ever since the September 11th attacks, and the debate still rages: should President Barack Obama send more troops to Afghanistan? As of October, there are 260,000 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Afghan troops in Afghanistan. Many officials are skeptical on sending more troops to Afghanistan. They believe that sending 40,000 troops would only secure the country for a short period of time. Unlike Iraq, Afghanistan does not have a government stable enough to maintain any gains made. Iraq, due to the aid from the US, has established a parliament in Iraq. This parliament elected a 36 member cabinet, filling in key spots in the Iraqi ministry. However, in Afghanistan, the government is not as steady shown by election in August of this year. Iraqi President Hamid Karzai won with a fifty-five percent majority; however accusations of fraud lead to an investigation of the ballots. This investigation confirmed the accusations, and twenty-three percent of Karzai’s ballots were omitted, causing the need for a runoff between Karzai and candidate Abdullah Abdullah. This lack of government leaves Afghanistan in a chaotic state, relying on US troops to stabilize and protect it. However, US citizens are adamant about their belief that there should not be any more troops sent to Afghanistan. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released in Sept. notes that American favor for the war has dropped from fifty-eight percent to thirty-nine percent. Despite such low numbers, Obama and his war council are still debating the number of troops to send, ignoring public opinion. However, on Oct. 31, 2009, Obama and other White House officials considered scaling down the number of troops from 40,000 to 15,000. The US is not the only country sending troops to Afghanistan. Two years ago, a Taliban hostage crisis in Afghanistan resulted in the deaths of two South Koreans. Since then, South Korea has pulled more than 200 army medics and engineers out of the country. However, now the South Korean foreign ministry is planning on sending troops in order to protect leftover Korean civilian aid workers there. These troops will not be participating in combat unless it is to defend the workers. While there, the South Korean troops will enlarge a reconstruction team to help rebuild Afghanistan. Despite the positive effect these troops will likely have on the country, South Koreans are opposed to the plan. They are still wary of the country since the Taliban hostage incident. Korea and the US both raise an important question: Is aiding a country in need the best decision when the helping countries need aid themselves? The US still has to deal with a devastating economic recession, as well as other endeavors in Iraq and the uncovering of Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts. South Korea, on the other hand, is still battling its communist neighbor North Korea in naval battles in disputed water territory. Should they send more of their troops elsewhere when they need them on the home front? Despite the debates over sending troops, the US as well as allied countries still plan on deploying troops in Afghanistan, whether it is the best decision or not.

Photo by Michael DiGregorio from basic training Alexandra Mathieu Online Editor

Malden High School senior and soldier in training, Michael DiGregorio, expects to be deployed in Sept. 2010. He explained that engineering troops from Iraq will be sent to fix Afghan bases and help reconstruct the Afghan nation. DiGregorio concludes that there needs to be a rotation of troops in order to promote fairness. “As a fellow soldier,” DiGregorio stated, “I believe that in order to eliminate the threat overseas we should push more troops in a shorter time.”

Pakistan: Problem [Not] Solved Brittany Foley Head of Entertainment/Opinion

While recent Taliban attacks continue to devastate Pakistan, the United States has decided that further involvement in military operations is necessary. It has been disclosed by senior American and Pakistani officials that the US has sent arms, sensors, and other equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Pakistani forces. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the US has sent about $12 billion worth of payments, military assistance, and equipment to Pakistan. Pakistan is determined to fight independently, however, as Taliban threats towards the Pakistani government worsen, the nation has had no choice but to accept help from the US. Since October, roughly 300 people have been killed in attacks across Pakistan, all of which are suspected to have been executed by the Taliban. A security convoy made an

attack in Swat Valley which resulted in the deaths of 41 people. Three sets of bombings killed at least 22 people in northern Pakistan on Oct. 23, 2009. Peshawar, Pakistan is one of the most deadly attack sites. On Oct. 9, 2009, at least 50 civilians were killed after a suicide bombing; a week later, 12 people were killed in another bombing. On Oct. 28, 2009, the Taliban was accused of attacking a market in Peshawar via car bomb. The bombing left at least 91 people dead and 200 more injured. While the death toll rises, Pakistan’s struggle to fight independently becomes increasingly difficult. One unnamed Pakistani officer told The New York Times how the government was “grateful for the generosity” of the US, but feels that the Pakistani government has “now learned to fight with all [they] possess and not what has

been promised.” On Nov. 2, 2009 their government released a Taliban bounty list through a set of national advertisements, stating that “anyone who captures [the] people dead or alive, or provides concrete information” will receive a cash reward. The capture of Hakimullah Mehsud, Taliban leader, and his two top supporters, Qari Hussain Mehsud and Rahman wear tags worth $600,000; the total reward money being offered for the listed Taliban members is equal to $5 million. Although the offerings were a strategic attempt at independent resistance, it only led to more devastation. Another 35 people—civilians and military persons—were killed on Nov. 3, 2009 only hours afterwards, in a suicide bombing in Rawalpindi. Pakistan has begun to cooperate reluctantly with the US and their plans of aid. In an interview with

daily Pakistani newspaper Dawn, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton explained that the US government is “really trying to accelerate everything [they] can to help the Pakistani military.” Clinton, who gave the interview before her recent trip to Pakistan, was not the only person in Washington to recognize and sympathize with Pakistan’s current situation. An anonymous White House correspondent shared with The New York Times that President Barack Obama “was engaged in this issue in the spring” and remains involved. “[The US government is] doing everything within [its] power to assist Pakistan in improving its counterinsurgency capabilities,” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Mark Wright also informed The New York Times.

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Special Election Jan. 2010 I



Who Will Replace Kennedy?

t has been 25 years since there has been an open senate seat in Massachusetts, and now someone will have to fill the shoes of one of the most idolized senators of all time, Ted Kennedy. The primary election will be held on Dec. 8, 2009. For the time being, Paul Kirk will hold the seat, until the special election, which is set to take place on Jan. 19, 2010. Two republicans and four democrats are vying for the position. All the democrats are pro-choice on the matter of abortion, and proponents of gay marriage, and the public health option. They oppose the sending of more troops to Afghanistan and capital punishment. Both republicans oppose another stimulus plan and public option, as well as support the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Natalie Fallano Reporter Mike Capuano taken from http://www.mikecapuano. com/content/home

Martha Coakley taken from http://www.marthacoakley. com/

DEMOCRATS The front-runner of the race, and first to announce her candidacy is Massachusetts attorney general, Dem. Martha Coakley. She is the first female Massachusetts attorney general, and hopes to be Massachusetts’ first female senator as well. A graduate of Williams College and Boston University Law School, Coakley stated to The Boston Examiner that if she becomes senator she will ensure people with disabilities have “equal access to housing, education, health care, and employment opportunities” and vows to “end housing discrimination and to find ways to increase safe, affordable housing.” In a debate at the John F. Kennedy Library, Coakley stated she would be “a new kind of leader in Washington.’’ Coakley’s biggest competition is said to be Dem. Congressman Michael Capuano, a house representative serving his sixth term. Capuano is the first chair of the office of Congressional Ethics and graduated from Dartmouth College and Boston College Law School. Before he was elected congressman, he served as the mayor of Somerville for eight years. He was one of the few Representatives to vote against the United States Patriot Act, and voted against authorizing the war in Iraq. Capuano believes that he should be elected senator partly because he has the most experience in Washington and has the ability to get things done; “I’ve been trained in the House to know the way of Washington,” he stated at the JFK library debate.

Scott Brown taken from http://www.scottbrown.com/

Primary to be held on December 8th

Steve Pagulica taken from http://www.stevepagliuca. com/

Dem. Steve Pagliuca, known to most as the co-owner of the Boston Celtics, is also running for the senate seat. This is his first time running for office and hopes to make his first run his first win. He graduated from Duke University and Harvard’s School of Business. Pagluica vows to use his business expertise to do things such as bring more jobs to Massachusetts. “They have experience in politics; I have experience in business...we really don’t have anybody that has on-the-ground business experience,” he stated to the Boston Globe. Pagluica is working on name recognition because he feels being a co-owner of the Boston Celtics does not necessarily make him an apt candidate for senatorship. Dem. Alan Khazei is most commonly known for being the co-founder of City Year, an extremely successful program for young adults who do service to revitalize an American inner-city. He has also served as the CEO until 2006, and is a graduate of Harvard and Harvard’s School of Law. Khazei said that if becomes senator he would create more “green jobs” in Massachusetts and supports another stimulus plan, to create more of those jobs. He also is against casino gambling and wants to get rid of all of casinos in Massachusetts.” Casino gambling will irrevocably change the culture and fabric of our state,” he stated to the Boston Herald.

Alan Khazei taken from http://www.alanforsenate. com/

REPUBLICANS

Jack E. Robinson taken from http://www.jackforcongress. us/

Rep. Senator Scott Brown has the most experience out of the other candidates because he is already a senator. He is a graduate of Tufts University, as well as Boston College Law School, and has been doing Law ever since. Before he served as a senator he fought in the Afghanistan and Iraq war which he supports. Brown is a pro-death penalty supporter and says that a strong military is a necessity. Brown supports abortion, but believes that the United States should work on cutting down the amount per year and should use other alternatives like adoption. He opposes gay marriage, and supports the second amendment and the right for citizens to hold concealed carry. Brown supports the heath reform but opposes public option. He says he will fight for lower taxes and will be an “independent thinker.” Massachusetts is mostly democratic ,which will be his greatest obstacle to overcome. The Duxbury resident, Rep. Jack E. Robinson is the final candidate in the race. He is a graduate of Brown University and received law and business degrees from Harvard. Robinson ran for senate in 2000 and lost to Kennedy, as well as ran for Massachusetts Secretary of the Common Wealth in 2002 and lost. He has worked as an executive for Eastern Airlines and left to start his own cell phone company. Unlike most republicans Robinson “support[s] same-sex marriage, [and] support[s] equal rights for our LGBT community,” according to NECN.com. Robinson is a “progressive” republican which is why a lot of his beliefs are different than most republicans. Although one belief Robinson has that is like many republicans is he is pro-life and opposes abortion. He wants to bring more jobs to Massachusetts but no through another stimulus plan. The republican party has shunned Robinson, who hopes to be accepted once again if he wins the primary and special election.

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Stripped of the Right to Marry After a stinging gay marriage defeat in Maine, the gay-rights movement is starting to shift its attention towards other states

Dan Holmqvist Copy Editor

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n the ten months since President Barack Obama has taken office, the gay-rights movement has made little progress, despite Obama’s own promise to make same-sex marriage one of the focuses of his presidency. Obama, gay-rights activists’ claim, has done nothing to address the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the United States military, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) or passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Several gay rights leaders have become incensed with the President’s inaction, organizing several protests against his administration. On the state level, in California and most recently Maine, gay and lesbian couples have lost marriage rights only after having gained them months prior. Going into election day, the polls suggested Proposal

1, the referendum that would end same-sex marriage in Maine, would come down to the wire. However, the referendum was passed overwhelmingly with a 53% majority. This is cause for concern for many gays and lesbians; not only did they spend more money and have superior organization on the ground, the Proposal was passed relatively easily, with younger voters failing to show up at the voting booths. Maine, one of the more libertarian demographically likely states to support gay marriage, has become the 31st state in the United States to block gay marriage. The Maine vote was certainly a major setback for the movement, which has been thoroughly divided about how to approach voters. In Maine, campaigners relied on using their own personal stories of dis-

crimination to sway voters. Others have favored more aggressive political tactics, like repealing DOMA and quickly reversing the ban on samesex marriage in California. Now, the battle is raging on in states like New York, where Governor David Paterson has sensationally called for the legalization of gay marriage in his state before the end of the year. In New Jersey, similar legislative steps have been taken, although the election of a Republican governor in the state will undoubtedly hamper their efforts. At Malden High School, members of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) help to “inform and educate others about sexual orientation and gender identity issues.” Junior Debbie Ly, President of the MHS GSA, argued in favor of same-sex marriage, stating that marriage is the

“symbolism of the bond between two people,” not necessarily defined as something that can only occur between a man and a woman. The United States, she believes, should allow same sex marriage because “[homosexuals] want the same emotional attachment in relationships as heterosexuals.” However, gay marriage in the United States certainly has a long way to go before it is widely accepted by American citizens, especially after their demoralizing defeat in Maine. So far much of the “change” the Obama administration had promised with regard to gay marriage and gay rights on the federal level has not arrived; but for now, the battle over same-sex marriage will continue to rage on in individual states, likely taking years before becoming fully legalized.

5 years, 5 billion dollars, 5,000 schools Kayla Bramante

Failing Schools Getting More Stimulus Money

Reporter

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resident Barack Obama plans to turn around 5,000 failing schools by creating an extensive new public charter school system over the course of just five years. A school is “failing” when it does not measure up to national statistical standards such as unprepared teachers, old and unattractive textbooks, outmoded computer systems, a need for renovations, or possibly when principals are lacking leadership qualities. He does not just plan to turn these schools around, he intends to transform them into charter schools. A charter school is a public school with a grant of rights and an endowment which allows them to experiment with their curricula. These schools are still open to the public, enabling anyone to apply. They receive public dollars from local, state, and federal funds, although there is skepticism as to just where these funds are. The schools will retain all of the required academic state classes but they will not have as many regulations as to how they are to be taught. Currently, 40 states in the United States have charter schools programs. In charter schools there is a specific way of how they determine who gets into the school. If one is enrolling in kindergarten, then a lottery is used to choose from the

applicants. If they are enrolling in a higher grade, they are typically put on a waiting list, and are entered into another lottery. Fairness is always a key component of the charter school selection process. Statistically speaking, charter schools are the fastest-learning and most successful schools across the entire country. The charter schools focus soley on their students’ education; everything is about them and every rule or regulation has a reason behind it: they aim to maintain and foster academic interest and responsibilities. Malden has both public and charter schools, which allows students and their parents a choice in what type of learning they prefer. Students attending charter schools have a higher percentage of becoming successful students in college, and are found to have greater income in later years, according to surveys conducted by independent polling companies. If the student has been in the charter system for their whole life they are between 7 and 15 percent more likely to graduate high school and attend a college. The charter school in Malden is called the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School and students can attend school there from kindergarten to grade twelve. There are both pros and cons to going to a charter school. One positive

aspect of attending Mystic Valley is a greater expenditure of funds on the educations of each individual, even going so far as to provide the locks for lockers. Although, a con that would most likely adversely affect all the public school students is that candy and soda are not allowed in the school. Charter schools have a uniform policy, specified even down to the student’s very socks. At Malden High School, students are allowed to express themselves in almost any way whereas at Mystic Valley you cannot dye your hair any color that is not natural. For a public school student, going from wearing whatever you want to being limited to a uniform would be the biggest con about charter schools. According to Zach Riley, a sophomore at Mystic Valley, there are unfair rules in place at charter schools. “Most of us complain about their rules and how much we cannot stand it here, [but] we all realize that it is really helping us get the best for our future,” Riley explained. Not only are the students exceptionally intelligent, they help out around the school and the community. They have been seen often at local places cleaning up graffiti. When asked if they would or would not want to attend a charter school and why, sophomore Nathan Urban stated, “I don’t want to go be-

cause they get more schooling that is unnecessary.” Some people think that this extra schooling really is not important to be successful whereas others believe, like Riley, that it is a great help in preparing for the future. Most public schools have comparatively more freedom, like at MHS, where the students have a lateentry once each month. There are also other types of schools that are available such as private and vocational schools. A private school is funded by the individuals going there; they have to pay a tuition in order to attend and they have to be selected from a pool of applicants. Vocational schools focus mainly on specific trades that their students would like to pursue after graduation. The student is better trained to enter a profession or apprenticeship directly out of high school rather than attending a college. Perhaps Obama’s plan will help restore the status of many failing American schools, but many crucial questions remain. What will become of the alternatives to a traditional high school education? And, of course, where is this money going to come from, and where is it going to go? At the present the policy is too ambiguous to make accurate predictions.

World news

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The Green Renovations Could Impact Malden High school continued from page 1

Photos by Lauren Benoit Renovations done at the school. THIS MONTH TWENTY YEARS AGO A day remembered by many across the world: Nov. 9, 1989 This month, twenty years ago, the Berlin Wall came crashing down marking the fall of the Iron Curtain across Europe - a massive event for many people across the world, including Americans - who had occupied territory in West Berlin for many years after World War II.

MHS, the renovations will give us a new roof along with a new heating system that will keep the classrooms warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer that will ultimately help lower school energy costs. Though, could MHS meet LEED requirements to become a green school? Two requirements that will be met once the renovations are done are lowering operating costs and conserving energy with a lighting system that shuts off when classrooms aren't in use. A requirment MHS could meet is being healthier and safer for students. MHS renovations could use contstruction materials that either have low emissions which will help air quality. The new heating system might provide better air quality if ventilation is adequate and filtrates air properly, which would help keep students healthier. So with "Green" Architecture becoming more popular, MHS is downsizing its carbon footprint by embracing the new style. The fad is not all about the people helping the enviroment, the benefits of building green is that with more natural light and better ventilation students test better and keeps them healthier. Overall "green architecture is not just style its the future for a healthier earth.

Harmony in Danger Lynn Tran Managing Editor

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ince 1987, triadic bells have hanging from the third rail in Kendall Station. Tuned in F sharp major and B minor, the aluminum Kepler, teak Pythagoras, and steel Galileo bells compose The Kendall Band. Although the sound it produces lasts about four minutes, its legacy has struck a chord in history for over two decades. The Kendall Bell is an interactive musical sculpture built in 1987 that was initially developed to evoke eye contact and shared conversations, laughter, and enlightenment between complete strangers. This sculpture was developed by Paul Matisse, Photo by Harald Holmqvist grandson of renowned French artist Henry Matisse. In the 2009 20th anniversary celebration, Germany set up a However, due to recent damage, Matisse’s sculpture series of colorful, domino-like concrete slabs across the old is beginning to falter, stripping the musical sculpture border. of its original message. Although Matisse’s sculpture embodies innovation for the sound that erupts from the Kendall train station, it is renown for its purpose which is to unify passengers; anyone can play the bells because they always chime the same tone, blind to the producer. Levers to play the bells are on the walls of the inbound and outbound platforms. In contrast to the loud, reverberating rumble of the train, this sculpture was meant to bring out the beauty within the bleak darkness of the Kendall/MIT train station, by creating a sound all passengers can enjoy together. When all three bells ring, they are in harmony with each other. It was meant to “break the ice” and to replace cold stares with pleasant chimes. Passengers and strangers on either side of the platform work together, in synchronization to overcome the clash of the train in order to create music. Matisse believes that music can bring people together, because with the pull of a lever, these chords echo throughout the station, making it hard to ignore by all passengers. However, due to overuse and lack of care, the sculpture began to collapse in the last couple of years. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority initially invested $90,000 into this project and can no longer afford to make renovations to keep it from falling apart. On many occasions, Matisse has driven from his home in Groton to Cambridge after the trains stop running in order to maintain the bells. However at old age, he can no longer keep up with his artwork. Matisse told the Boston Globe that he “is looking for a patron to take over the maintenance.” Despite his pleas, nobody has yet to respond. The products of art and physics are: Kepler, a ring shaped gong; the Galileo, a vibrating metal sheet, and Pythagoras, a series of chimes, which currently is the only one that functions properly. With only one out of three bells ringing, does Matisse’s message ring clearly? Today we have wars, terrorism, and massacres, like the ones in Venezuela, Guinea, Puerto Rico, and Iraq. Matisse’s sculpture’s manifestation of unity is the deviation needed considering recent occurrences of violence and animosity. On Sept. 11, 2001 the Twin Towers in New York City collapsed and the Pentagon was struck. The whole world was running frantically as smoke and smolder congested the air, and as civilians suffered and suffocated. Lives were lost, and on the other side of the world, Arabs were commending the terrorists. After 9/11 the country revaluated their views of Islam and Muslim people; there were reports of harassment, vandalism, and hate crimes. Instead of finding solidarity among each other, we pushed other cultures away. Recently, it was the anniversary of Marcelo Lucero’s death, an Ecuadorian immigrant who was stabbed to death by seven teenagers in New York. In Suffolk County, NY, there were 11 more similar hate crimes, and more around the world based on color, race, religion, nationality and sexual orientation. Although with varying magnitudes, this hostility exists wherever you go, we enter the train station, minding our own business, heads down, avoiding people, and headphones in, hoping to block out the world. We always go to the furthest end of the station to avoid contact or sit on opposite ends of a bench. Matisse’s bells are loud enough to overcome any headphones, and their function is interesting enough to get any passenger to look up and watch. Now that it is broken, less people are looking up, and enjoying together a musical sculpture built to unify passengers. It is not just art, or music, but an attempt of saving our “melting pot” that has been raging towards the brim, ready to spill.

Photos by Lynn Tran Top to bottom: The lever of Pythagoras and the PythagorasBells

The Blue and Gold October-November 2009

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Boston Moves Its Hips Like Yeah The stage for this tour was end stage, and had a catwalk that stretched out ten rows onto the floor, giving the concert a more intimate feel. After another half hour of waiting, the stage hands had everything in place for the show to begin.

Catherine Poirier Reporter

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n the evening of Nov. 9, 2009, Boston’s TD Garden was the host of Miley Cyrus’ “Wonder World Tour.” The arena was filled with fans ranging from children to teenage years, to even a few proud adults sporting blond wigs and cowboy hats. As the seats began to fill, screams of excitement could be heard. Metro Station, of which Miley Cyrus’ brother Trace is a member, was the opening act of the night. When the lights dimmed as Metro Station could took the stage, the arena filled with cheers and chanting of her name. After Metro Station’s first few songs, Trace took the chance to say a few words, stating, “A lot of people didn’t want my sister and I to work together, they said it just didn‘t fit. But I would like to thank her for believing in us, because we would have never been able to go on tour together without her love and support.” After Metro Station left the stage, the crew began to set up the stage for Miley.

some of her outfit choices and dance moves. At the beginning of the concert, she was wearing a leather jumpsuit, with biker boots, singing a few more of her rock songs. After a quick outfit change, she came out in a floor length glittery gold gown, singing “Bottom of the Ocean,” a soft ballad full of sad lyrics, such as, “I have to know why I had to lose you/ Now you’ll just become like everything I’ll never find again/ At the bottom of the ocean.” During this song, an opening in the stage Photos by Catherine Poirier floor apMiley Cyrus performs and sells out at the TD Garden peared and at the end of the song, she As the main event began, the threw herself backwards into it. screens lit up and showed a therDuring the night, Cyrus gave mometer with freezing tempera- tributes to some of her favorites tures on it, and a huge block of what songs and artists, including Michael appeared as ice came out from be- Jackson. In between two of her low the stage. Then this block of ice songs, Jackson’s hit “Thriller” beshattered and Miley came out, sing- gan playing. Cyrus and her dancers ing “Breakout”, the title track from began doing the track’s trademark her album released last summer. dance. In addition, in the perforEach song continued to surprise the mance her new single “Party in the audience with all sorts of props. USA,” she changed the lyrics from Her stage presence revealed “and a Jay-Z song was on” to “and how much she was trying to change a Michael song was on.” Cyrus also her image, to one of more diversity sang “I Love Rock and Roll” by Joan and maturity. This was shown by Jett; during the song, she was taken

up in the air on a motorcycle and flown over the audience. Another highlight of the night was when Miley brought her brother Trace on stage. When he came out, they sang “Hovering,” a track from Breakout Platinum Edition CD. This song was different from her other songs, having much more of a rockfeel to it than her usual pop songs. During the summer, Cyrus filmed a movie called The Last Song, based on the book by Nicholas Sparks. During the concert, the film’s trailer was presented to the audience. Before the trailer was showed, Cyrus informed the crowd, “I wanted to show you guys a little bit of my summer. It felt great to get away from the big city and film this movie. Even though I did make a few mistakes, being away from the city helped me make the changes and decisions I needed to in my life.” Her testimony displayed her maturity, and how her recent attempts to become her own person. After showing the trailer, she played one of her songs from the movie, “When I Look at You,” on the piano, which was a huge change from all the songs she had previously performed, which mostly consisted of pop/rock songs. Throughout her whole performance, she clearly showed her enthusiasm at touring again. At one point, she had to stop between songs because one of her dancers had done something funny on stage and she could not stop laughing. During all of the songs, she was smiling uncontrollably, clearly having a great time. Cyrus definitely gave the concert attendees a night to remember.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Terrifies and Satisfies Nidale Zouhir Head Local News Writer

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ade in 2007 for less than $15,000, Paranormal Activity depicts the haunting of college student Katie (played by Katie Featherston) and her boyfriend Micah (played by Micah Sloat). Set in San Diego over a span of three weeks, Paranormal Activity begins with the relatively cheerful couple describing their recent fear of what at first seems to be a ghost haunting their new home. However, it quickly becomes evident that whatever is haunting the house has been following Katie around since she was very young, and according to paranormal expert Dr. Fredrichs, is not a ghost, but a demon. The two chronicle their days on camera as the demon gets more

and more active in their home, driving the couple to various measures that only serve to provoke the demon, leading to a decidedly creepy ending and a decidedly creepier alternate-ending. Even without the gore and special effects of its big-budget counterparts, Paranormal Activity manages to create a real fear of the unknown; noises and creaks that, in most other contexts, would seem normal, are genuinely frightening. Likely due to the home video technique used by director Oren Peli, the film is jarringly realistic, down to the eerily -possessed Katie and the nightmares she experiences. Katie and Micah are at first realistic characters who deal with

their problems accordingly; however, their drama about how to react to Katie’s haunting is anticlimactic and quickly gets irritating, especially since the demon possessing Katie does whatever it wants to, regardless of the couple’s actions. Their dialogue throughout is genuine, likely due to extensive retroscripting (an acting technique in which the script of a film is written as an outline and dialogue is improvised by the actors). However, their characters quickly become stereotypical horror-film archetypes: Katie is the naive, frightened female, while Micah is the annoyingly cocky male. Despite the fear it invokes, Paranormal Activity is far from perfect; the first hour seems overly

long, with numerous night-shot bedroom scenes that seem to go on forever, only to display a door slamming shut or footstep noises in the hallway beyond the bedroom. The entire first hour could easily be condensed into fifteen minutes, thus creating more drama and invoking less movie theater walkouts. Several versions of the film were created, with the original ending not having much possibility for a sequel. The version that progressed to theaters was given more of a Hollywood-cliffhanger. Either way, the ending is the scariest part of a film that is half annoying, half macabre.

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Style

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Funky Fall Fashion Photos by Paige Yurek To the left: Shakira Young and Daniel Vo To the right: Taylow Wrice

Reginah Sanyu Reporter

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eing fashionable does not simply mean wearing the most expensive clothes--it is all about how one wears their clothes. One can shop cheap at A.J Wright and still look like they just stepped off a Louis Vuitton runway. The cold seasons are here, but losing a sense of style is not an option. Since 2009 is all about recycling, style is following suit and doing the same. Traditional 80’s-era clothes are back in style, which means that pearls, sholder pads, and ruffles are key pieces to any ensemble. Also, chandelier earrings, can be worn anywhere and can change the flavor of an outfit instantly. This season is all about expressing personality in color. The must-have colors this fall are: black, metallics, grays, burgandies and dark blues, tweed and other bold colors like pink and yellow. All of these colors can be worn in a mixture to create different looks, but color-clashing should be avoided. Taylor Wrice, a junior at Malden High School, knows how to combine his colors well, wearing a black jacket from Ace with denims and red and black Jordans. He says, “My style is really laid back, I don’t put on whatever and I’m always game ready.” Lately, it has been all about prints. Prints are everywhere and they have shown themselves to be versatile in leggings, skirts, jackets,

dresses, and nearly everything else. Although prints are very fashionable, too many of

them c a n be a disaster. Kisla R a m i evades any cataclysm pulling off an ideal printed outfit. Rami wore a printed shirt with jeans and black boots.”I got this shirt from Express; it stood out from all others because of its printed texture. Wearing it makes me feel cheetalicious.” Leather maintains its royal throne in style, showing up in leggings, slim pants, skirts, and jackets. Leather is worn best with contrasting textures like knits, velvet, or even lace. Sweater dresses are in fashion

now as well. Popping on a cozy sweater dress with leggings and boots on a cold school day will not only warm you up, but make you look good doing it. Something borrowed from the boys is also very stylish. No outfit can go wrong with a perfect blazer, boyfriend jeans or boy shirts. Sorry guys, the opposite is not really in style. Shakira Young, a junior at MHS wears a boy's shirt and boots stating, “I got this shirt from Urban Outfitters and I love it. It makes [me] feel good and comfortable.” Leggings are everywhere in every color and style. There are printed ones, ones in bold colors, and still more in leather. They make an outfit look dressy, trendy and chic. Although leggings are in style, plain white leggings should be thrown away; they tend to make even the leanest legs look like a little squat. If you prefer jeans, well there are even leggings in denim. Boots are a must-have during the cold seasons, but 2009 is all about the long knee boots. They come in different colors and are very stylish. Christiana Bartolo a junior at MHS agrees too. She says, “Those boots are amazing, I can wear them for any occasion and the best part is that they are cheap at Aldo.” For a school look, jeans can be tucked into boots for a look that never gets old. Being casual does not necessar-

ily have to mean s we a t p a n t s and sandals. Ask Nancy Pierre a senior at MHS who puts on jeans, Nikes and a cute top when she is feeling casual. She said, “I feel dope in my casual outfit, it’s comfortable and can turn a day around. It is also best to wear a casual outfit in your favorite color, in my case lime green.” No matter what someone wears, the true flavor comes from how they wear it. The more fitting the clothes, the better. Wearing baggy clothes from head to toe has become unflattering. This is something that Daniel Vo a freshman at MHS understands clearly. Vo wears a tie in a casual way with jeans, gloves and a vest. He said, “My style is mostly influenced by Michael Jackson, I want to be a trendsetter and show my heritage and style.” Ka Weng Choi a junior at MHS agrees, saying, “fitting clothes make you comfortable and confident, I get most of my outfits from Urban Outfitters.” Even in 2009 amid huge changes in the mode, fashion's golden rule remains: whether your style is trendy, classy, chic, or edgy, please avoid wearing wrinkly clothes.

MICHAEL JACKSON: KING OF POP A FREE SPIRITED BOY TO A LEGEND Reginah Sanyu Reporter

OUR REACTIONS

Malden High School shares reactions to Michael Jackson’s death Matthew Evans, English teacher at MHS,”I wasn’t surprised of Jackson’s death. I remember seeing the Jackson 5 in a concert at Yankees stadium in 1966. Jackson is like the Great Gatsby; their lives were both full of mysteries, had big mansions but were still very lonely.”

Cherise Hope, junior at MHS, “I was sad to hear of his death because Jackson had and majorly influence on American Pop Culture, all the musicians got their style from him. He is still a legend; I was him for Halloween to keep him alive.”

Thomas Mahoney, D House principal Jackson influenced the youth of every generation. Although Jackson was very strange; his influence has reigned in the last few years, I wasn’t his biggest fan but to me, he is one of the greatest entertainers.”

William Clarke, senior at MHS: “I listened to Jackson once in a while. He had an influence on the American culture because a lot of these R7B singers wouldn’t have the same swag is it wasn’t for him. Jackson [was] indeed the KING OF POP.”

Photos by Catherine and Sharon

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MHS Misses The GBL Title In OT continued from page 1 tore ACL in the team’s first game of the season, ending his season. Papagallo stated that “Usually, 1 person does not make a ton of difference.” “Marcos worked very hard in the offseason making sure he understood the system and processes which needed to be implemented for our offense to start.” Papagallo also stated that in addition to Marcos the team lost a Tight End (TE) because Samexant (former TE) had to take Almeida’s place as QB. Samexant had the ability to “block with aggression and precession” and the team was put in a position it wanted to avoid so early in the season. Coach Papagallo strongly stated that the team “Should have won them all [of the games]” and that the team was never out played. Papagallo believes it is very beneficial that the league games are at the end of the season because early on “you can get all the kinks worked out.” Samexant is an entirely different QB today than he was in his first snaps this season against Methuen, “he has an understanding of everything we are trying to do and has command of it all.” Papagallo expressed. The week off has allowed the team not only to get rid of bumps and bruises, but also to make sure the team is prepared for the Thanksgiving game against Medford. Papagallo stated that the team will be watching a lot of film from their previous games to “make sure we have formation recognition,” and the team will be doing extra conditioning “to make sure we can go all 4 quarters… as well as overtime if need be,” explained Papagallo. Despite the loss against Everett, Papagallo continues to believe that “the players are talented, disciplined, committed, and can flat out play.” He strongly goes by his theory, “When you think, you stink”, which is a football term meaning “the minute, on the football field, [the players] can stop thinking, and play by instinct; [they] are a step or two faster. [Their] decision making within the framework of the game is quicker. [Their] ability to respond to visual keys is timelier. Our team has gotten to that point.”

Malden vs. Everett in the Greater Boston League Championship game Photos by Lauren Benoit and Alexander Gennigiorgis

Winter and the holidays are on their way. The Malden High Crew Team would like to make decorating easy this year. 4” Christmas Cactus $5.00 6” Christmas Cactus $8.00 6” Amaryllis $8.00 6” Paperwhites $8.00 6” Poinsettias $10.00 8” Poinsettias (3 bulbs) $18.00 10” Wreath $10.00 14” Wreath $12.00 18” Wreath $15.00 Bow added to Wreath $2.00 Decorated Kissing Ball $25.00

*Wreaths come with no decoration. If want a bow, please be sure to add to the list. Total Number of Items: _________________ Cost of entire order: _________________ Payment Method: Check

or

Cash

Make checks payable to: Malden High School

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MHS Athletics Hall Of Fame Celebrate 25th Year Natalie Fallano

Global Climate, and What It Is Doing Behind the Scenes Alfonse Femino

Reporter

Head Sports Writer

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n Saturday Nov. 7, 2009 the 25th annual Malden High School Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner took place at Anthony’s Restaurant in Malden. With almost 300 guests, the hall was full with both past and new inductees. The opening words mentioned the first Golden Tornado fundraiser in 1952 which raised money for jackets for the football team if they beat Everett in the annual Thanksgiving game. The night began with a performance of the MHS fight song, performed by the current MHS cheerleaders and band. The author of the song, Peter Carol, was present and the crowd was surprised to learn that he wrote it when he was only ten years old. Afterward, former cheerleaders did one last cheer, and were all inducted that night. Ayoub Kourikchi, a senior at MHS, received the Peter Donoghue Golden Eagle Award. David Londino, MHS cross country coach, said that Kourikchi was one of the few people he has met that is “the kind of kid you want your kid to be.” Many people gave praise to MHS athletics and the Golden Tornado organization. “The sense of community that exhumes this room is something that should be cherished,” stated superintendent of Malden Public Schools, Sid Smith. Craig Spadafora stated “If it wasn’t for this organization, our schools wouldn’t have the athletics that it [has].” Among the new inductees was Sandra MacMullin, a gymnast who graduated from MHS in 1989. In her gymnastics career, she won the all around title in the state championships, and also ranked 12th nationally all around. MucMullin was featured in the Boston Herald, Globe Scholastic, and in Sports Illustrated. She went to Northeastern University and now owns a gymnastics school in Billerica. MucMullin stated “[I was a] transfer student and the diversity of MHS had given me friendships that I thought I

Alumni Mary-Joe McBride speaks to athletes at the 25th annual Hall of Fame Dinner

would never have,” and “[MHS] taught me how to be a team member and to put the team first.” Also inducted was the 1972 undefeated girls basketball team. Co-captain, Nancy McGuire, said the team “was ahead of our time” and “the club was worth one million dollars.” Other notable inductees were Jim Tuxbury, Ken Fulgham, Colleen McBride, Dave O’Brien, Rich Bransfield, and Lester Morovitz.. The night was memorable for all that attended.

Cheering their Way to Sectionals Amanda Adams

Paige Yurek

Reporter

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The Blue and Gold October-November 2009

Sports

heerleaders from Everett, Malden and Somerville danced and cheered during the regional cheering competition on Nov. 7, 2009, to show pride for their high schools. Throughout the competition sounds of popular songs such as Miley Cyrus’ Party in the U.S.A., and New Boys’ You’re a Jerk filled the gymnasium. Everyone appeared to have great experience, and knew how to show school pride. Tainara Giacomini, senior cheerleading captain representing the Malden cheerleading squad, explained how it feels to be part of the regionals, “[It feels] really good, I have been cheering since I was about ten years old. It’s an accomplishment.” Cherry Canavan, senior captain of the Somerville cheerleading squad,

although on an opposing team, agree with Giacomini’s statement; “[Being a part of the regionals feels] so good, we haven’t won in so long.” When asked how long it takes to prepare for such a competition, both girls stated that this year it took about three months. Cherry explained the process, “We learned the routine in August and have been practicing it three to five days a week ever since.” Each cheerleader and their squad proved they practiced long and hard. Clearly, they are all proud of their high schools; however, Somerville claimed the prize for best performance.

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f all the things global climate change has an effect on, who would have thought the sloppy characteristics of the 21st century would ever be harmful to the wonderful world of athletics? It is becoming clear that global climate change is not just a fairy tale, but something that is very real, and is affecting our generation. Students of this generation will begin to see warmer days in the summer and unexpected temperatures such as the 60 degree temperature this past weekend in November. Weather is unpredictable, so no one knows exactly what the future holds for the weather around us, but I think it will be a bit warmer than average,” stated junior Malden High School student Andrew Chen, on his thoughts about what effects this generation will see in future years. This “inconvenient truth” was reflected on Sunday, Sept. 10 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. A few minutes into a cold Sunday game between the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans, a slight snowfall accumulated. Up until this point in time, it is almost unheard of for snow to fall in mid October, clearly showing that global climate change is no joke, but instead it is something that is unavoidable. This incident with the Patriots, however, is not the only example of global climate change peaking its ugly head into professional sports. In 2007, there was a four game snow delay. That’s right, not rain delay, but a snow delay in baseball. This incident marked the first time in history a Major League Baseball game was delayed due to snow, giving a small look into what is to come in the future. But what could possibly be done by Americans and the rest of the world to help cut down the brutal effects of global climate change? “Other than recycling, there is a plethora of methods to combat global climate change. Simple things such as using compact fluorescent light bulbs saves a lot of energy than the old incandescent bulbs that absorb so much energy. Another method is to at least consider purchasing a hybrid/smart vehicle because they conserve vast amounts of energy and do not emit as much carbon emissions that regular cars do,” stated Chen. This shows that there are many simple things that could be done that would go a long way in keeping the planet clean. As somewhat small things such as a flurry during a football game in New England in October, or snow in Chicago in April are natural occurrences right now, the question of what will happen in the future years is very disturbing. Will global climate change lead to building of more domes? Switching months around for different sports to avoid hazardous weather? These are just a few questions posed from global climate change that the world will just have to wait and see for an answer. “Our voices and actions will determine what our futures will present to us all,” exclaimed Chen.

The Blue and Gold October-November 2009

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Boys Soccer Team Completes Roller Coaster of a Season

Nelson Mendoza kicking the ball. (top and right) Photos by Catherine Poirier. Brittany McFeeley Copy Editor

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fter a very intense soccer season, the boys had put their heart and soul into playing and came out with a record of 8-11-1. Senior captain Samuel Warton stated “Everyone put their heart into the season. There’s no doubt about that.” The soccer team was eliminated from states from the same team that eliminated them from making states last year, Dracut. Last year, Dracut had eliminated the team from making states in their last game of the

season. This year, Dracut eliminated the boys in the second to last game of the year with a score of 3–1. During the game, junior Michael Rincon scored the only goal for the team. This goal was a very important goal, because it was the 17th game of the season and Rincon’s 17th birthday. And on his 17th birthday, he scored his 17th goal of the season. And when he scored his 17th goal of the season, it was the 17th hour of the day, five o’clock, which was definitely qualifies as one of his very memorable goals of this season. Senior goalie, Matt Rizzo, had a few spectacular games against Medford High School and Gloucester High School shutting out both teams. Rizzo stated, “It was a great feeling because of what it meant for the team.” The team’s final record was 8-10-1, they finished with a record of 3-5 in the Greater Boston League (GBL), coming in last in the entire GBL. “We had loads of potential

coming into the season, we played with the best of our abilities, but in the end, it didn’t work out,” commented Warton. However, next year is a new year for the team, with new captains, sophomore Dan Holmqvist and junior Rincon. The team looks to defeat Dracut in the upcoming season and rebuild the team, since they will be losing about nine seniors, but with the loss of the seniors, it leaves spots open for new and younger talent. Warton stated “Losing seniors will always hurt a team, no matter what. But I think as long as the new captains bring the team together and stay on top of their game for next year, it won’t matter who they lose.”

Winning Is Not Everything

The Varsity Field Hockey Team reunites after a great season. Photo by Sharon Lee

Catherine Poirier Reporter

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ith a disappointing record of 2-14-2, it is clear that that the girls Field Hockey team had a very tough season. Though the team did not achieve what they hoped for,

there was not lack of hard work from the players. One perfect example of their hard work was their final game of the season on Oct. 26, 2009 against Revere. The Field Hockey team pulled away with a victory with a score of 3-1. The girls were up one to nothing in the first half with a great goal by sophomore Rebecca Krigman. Krigman scored again in the second half, with an assist by Senior Cristina Valente. Senior co-captain Marissa Gould scored the last goal of the game within the last five minutes of the game. This game, along with the whole season meant a lot to the players on the team, especially to the seniors on the team. Senior cocaptain Jillian Dervishian said, “The record was not too good, but all of the friendships and memories [that

we made] will last for a long time. We had a great group of girls this year, and I hope to see that carried out for a long time.” Valente agreed with Dervishian, “I loved all the girls and looked forward to every game and practice. I always have so much fun because we are all so close and my two best friends were the captains. Even though our record wasn’t all that great, I was by no means disappointed.” Coach Susan Famiglietti was also extremely proud of the players. “We had a very young team this year, with only six seniors. The girls were getting adjusted to many new things this season too. Even with a new coach, and new team mates, they did an excellent job working together.” Famiglietti acknowledges junior varsity coach Kim Barber’s ability to develop young talent, which will lead to better outcomes in upcoming seasons.

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The Blue and Gold October-November 2009

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Volleyball Team Heard Around GBL Brendan Provitola Reporter

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Above: Monika Bashllari Right: Jillann Ceplinskas photo credit: Sharon Lee

he Malden High School volleyball team had a very successful run at the Greater Boston League title this year, however, they lost to Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in the playoffs. MHS was third in the GBL, with a league record of 6-6 and an overall record of 6-10. They have improved from recent years and worked hard enough to accomplish six league victories. According to head coach, Alicia Fine, “Every girl is a key player; we have a small varsity team this year so everyone is able to shine when they’re on the court. We are very lucky that all our girls can play any position, they can serve, hit, set or dig, and everyone has served numerous ‘aces’ ”. Aces are serves that either immediately hit the opposing team’s side of the court or the opposing team fails to receive the serve. Malden has been informed by surrounding city teams that they have the best serves in the entire league. It is clear that Coach Fine is confident in her team, and wants the best for them in the remainder of the season.

This year’s group of girls “have all taken their games to an even higher level than ever before,” noted coach Fine. These seniors who are excelling are Co-Captains Laura Botero and Jillann Ceplinskas as well as other seniors including Kristina Dyer, Evelyn Lopez, Deana Kovacev, and Thanh Nguyen. Coach Fine also added that “up-andcoming underclassmen of note are Monika Bashllari, Cynthia Antenor, and Barbara Santos Finamore.” Recently, Botero has been honored in a High Five interview, where Channel 5 came to MHS and featured her in a news segment. After being questioned about this topic, Coach Fine said, “it just reinforced how valuable the members of the team are.” Coach Fine believes that the momentum from this year will carry over to next year, and possibly build future teams off the current one. The team will do everything they can to improve and come out with a GBL title next year.

The Struggle to finish Lauren Benoit Reporter

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oach Mitchell Abbatessa and David Londino of the Malden High cross country team believe that the season is ending on a sad note. Abbatessa wishes that they “would have had a more successful season.” On Oct. 31, 2009, the teams competed in the Greater Boston League (GBL) Championship. To prepare for competitions, the team takes practice with more intensity and seriousness. Starting off a practice consists of a 600 meter warm-up run and stretching. Every other day, the teams will either do a workout, which just conditions the body, or a recovery day, which is running four miles. Their habits change also; the runners eat “a ridiculous amount of pasta, drink tons of water and sleep,” expressed sophomore Cristina Peters. The outcome of GBL shows that the team’s preparation has definitely paid off. Forty competitors from Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, and Everett high schools did not frighten the varsity boys MHS team. Ranking 5th was junior Andrew Terenzi, 7th place runner was junior Patrick Keough, trailing in 8th was sophomore William Wong, 10th place was senior Ayoub Kourikchi, the 24th place runner was

Henry Wong, following, was junior Anthony Nguyen, placing in 25th, and sophomore Dennis Chin came in 29th. Out of 32 varsity runners in GBL, ranking 2nd on the MHS girls cross country team was Peters, sophomore Haley DeFilippis ranked 4th, junior Jessica Vo came in 8th, sophomore Anna Tse ranked 21st, freshman Rebecca Broomstein ranked 20th, and freshman Tiffany Sabella ranked 25th. Just because of their successful run in GBL, the team does not hesitate to start training for States two weeks away. Two challenges runners face is to run in the rain and cold. States was held on Nov. 14, 2009, which was both a rainy and cold day; which is what the runners mainly had to compete against. Keough was not phased by the weather, “the weather didn’t bother me at all. I’m used to running in

the cold and in the rain and I prefer running in the rain, but the conditions were ridiculous, everyone, even runners with spikes were slipping, and the slipperiness made it really dangerous.” Despite the horrible weather conditions, the MHS cross country team was one of the lucky teams to not have a runner taken away in ambulances unlike some athletes from opposing teams. A strategy during the race was to “maintain strong form” stated Vo. The boys race was held before the girls race. So they had an advantage; the boys “were able to explain the course and how to take precautions.” They informed their teammates, “the faster you run, the slower you’ll go.” This was very true- because of the mud and puddles. Fast strides would just make you slide in place. We had to pay more attention to keep our form and

posture strong, so we could keep from falling,” stated Broomstein. Londino confirmed “Whenever you have rain coming down sideways, puddles that are seven inches deep, and mud up to your ankles, you aren’t going to run a personal best.  Don’t be too concerned with your time.  Be concerned with your place and pick off as many runners as possible.” Although the weather conditions were not a desirable choice, Londino stated that the runners enjoyed it for the most part. “It was difficult to stay warm and dry leading up to the race, but after the race they were swimming in puddles and just having fun.  Surprisingly, it was a great way to end the season.” Terenzi thought the race “was a lot of fun, except for running a bad time. I’m kind of bummed that the weather kind of threw away my chance at running a personal best, but the run was awesome…and muddy.”

Above Left: William Wong photo Credit: Lauren Benoit