Marlborough Residence Held Halloween Event for a Good Cause

As cars ride down North Main street throughout the year, the Durel residence does not differ from the rest of the passing houses. During the time of Halloween, however, it is a completely different story. With a yard filled with hundreds of store-bought and homemade creations, the homestead goes above and beyond the traditional set-up of Halloween decorations.


David Durel, founder of the event titled "Lake Terror-Among-Us", has been making elaborate Halloween set-ups since 1997. Every year, he and his mother, Robbie Wilks, continue to add to their collection of items including witches, aliens, zombies, and ghosts. The house also features an electronic, talking mad scientist and a dummy in an electric chair who vibrates in sync with sounds of electricity. "We make the majority of the things," says David. He went on to say that 85-90% of the Halloween decorations featured in the display were either created from scratch or made from different store-bought items.


Admission to the Durel's and Wilks' decorated homestead was free, but donations to the Marlborough Food Bank were very appreciated. They said they wanted to make a difference in a tough economic time. The house was open on Friday the 30th and Saturday the 31st from 6-9pm.

Music Review: Atreyu Congregation Of The Damned

Atreyu is an orange county California metal-core band that was one of the first mainstream groups of their genre. Their newest album Congregation Of The Damned is a departure from the normal staples of the metal-core genre, if anything it resonates more with a classic rock sound then a metal or hardcore one. In my personal opinion the album is extremely close in its sound to Alexisonfire's Old Crow's Young Cardinals released earlier this year, the scratchy vocals and more rock oriented guitar tone match up almost perfectly. However while this could be seen as a positive comparison, this album simply made me want to listen to OCYC and not Atreyu. While I cannot deny the band's success and their groundbreaking career, I feel as if their newest album may show that if they really want to renew their popularity they may want to fall back and augment what they were good at, opposed to imitating a popular sound. The album is decent for what it is, however for a band as well received as Atreyu it is in my opinion a dissapointment.

Car Accident In Marlborough Center Thursday

Two cars collided outside of the Marlborough post office between 4 and five PM today. The accident has caused traffic to back up down route 66.

Sophomore wins Poetry Contest for Eli Wiesel's "Night"

Recently, Mrs. Coffey's sophomore classes finished reading the famous tale of Eli Wiesel and his experience through the Holocaust in the novel, "Night." At the close of the book, Mrs. Coffey asked her students to read his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. They were given the option of writing a poem to reflect on what they thought of the book. Out of the 85 students in the Sophomore class, 20 poems were submitted. Mrs. Coffey then posted the poems for students to see and had two voting rounds to determine whose showed the most understanding and creativity. Theresa Kowal and Nick Growalski were the two first place winners of the contest. Mrs. Coffey explains that her intention of the poetry contest was to create social awareness among the student body and convey a message to the faculty and alumni. This has certainly inspired kids to form their own opinions on certain ideas and express their thoughts vividly on paper.

Rabid Raccoon Scratches Girl In Enfield

According to courant.com, a girl was scratched by a wild raccoon on Elm Street. Police are advising the public not to go near any wildlife. Enfield Animal Control and police answered a report of a raccoon chasing people at the area of Kohl's and the Best Buy Plaza at 7 on Wednesday night. The girl bent down to take a picture of the raccoon when it scratched her leg, according to police. One of the officers killed the raccoon and it was brought to the state lab to be tested for rabies, which came back positive. Anyone, that had contact with the raccoon is asked to call the Enfield Police Department at 860-763-6400 and contact your doctor immediately.

Enfield EMS Vehicle Hits Truck

According to Courant.com, an Enfield EMS sport-utility vehicle was answering to a call with sirens when the vehicle was hit by a pickup truck at the corner of South Road and Phoenix Avenue around 12:10 pm. Chief Edward Richards of the Enfield Fire Department said the EMS vehicle was going east on South Road, responding to a medical call at Blair Manor on Hazard Avenuewhen it was hit. Richards also added that three people: an EMS supervisor, and the driver and passenger of the Ford pickup truck were taken by ambulence from the scene to the nearby hospitals.

Debris from the accident was scattered across the intersection. The pickup truck was hauling a small trailer that became detached during the accident. Chief Richards said that the passenger in the truck was the most seriously injured and the driver of the truck had a leg injury. The names of the people involved or their injuries were not available right away.

-picture taken by: courant.com

Concert Review: The Venetia Fair @ The Marlborough American Legion Hall

The Venetia Fair is a Massachusetts based experimental rock quintet that was recently signed to red blue records and is known for their energetic presence and chaotic song structure.



10/10
The Marlborough American Legion hall is considerably small and the sound quality is truly dependent on the technician working the night of the show, however I lucked out in the sense that the show wasn't too packed and the sound tech was excellent. The real headliner of the show was a local band now facing relative success called Fate Kills The Hero, however the band directly proceeding them (The Venetia Fair) quickly established themselves as the most impressive act of the night.

I can safely say after attending a number of shows, professional or otherwise, that TVF's performance topped them all. From the moment they began their set their energy could only be described as insane, every member leaping from equipment or running into the crowd or onto each other, all the while playing their songs at the same quality as their recordings.
My favorite moments included the guitarist holding his guitar up with only his teeth, and the keyboardist dancing on top of his instrument during the last song. On top of the set being phenomenal I had the chance to sit and talk with members of the band who all turned out to be exceedingly humble and complete gentlemen. The band is in the process of filming a music video for their single "The Ringleader" (From which the above picture is taken) which will be up on their myspace October 30th.

The Venetia Fair's musical skill is only rivaled by their energy and commitment to being entertainers above all else, despite the tiny venue and 10$ price TVF has set an incredibly high bar for any future shows I might see.

For streaming MP3's, Concert Dates and more check out The Venetia Fair's Myspace at
www.myspace.com/thevenetiafair

T Shirts Prompt Legality Issues

Following the murder of UConn Football Cornerback, Jasper Howard, someone decided to use Gamedaytease.com to create memorial T shirts to commemorate his loss. However, Connecticut's attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, exclaims that the shirts are illegally using his name, image, and the UConn logo. No one registered with the Public Charities Unit beforehand or had permission to use Howard's picture along with the UConn logo. It is a copyright law says Blumenthal. Hwoever, Gamedaytease.com explains that it was a complete misunderstanding. Their idea was to contribute to the tragedy in any way possible. Their intention was to give all proceeds to the Jasper Howard fund, not slander his image on thousands of T shirts. The Jasper Howard fund is one of only two that the athletic department created in order to help Howard's family, funeral costs and his yet to be born child. "Gameday Tease LLC has not complied with these charitable solicitation requirements," the attorney general wrote. He argues that they violated the law that requires commercial co-ventures to register with the PCU. Blumenthal believes that the website ignored the charitable organization fact and went against laws that stated it had to be done. As another form of remembrance, UConn coach Randy Edsall says that his team will be sporting Howard's initials on their helmets for the remainder of the season and bring his jersey and helmet to the rest of the games.



http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/24/connecticut.football.player.death/index.html

Lake Compounce Haunted Graveyard Review

Around Halloween time, thrill seekers may have trouble finding a scare. I know I spent years looking for a place to release my adrenaline, and you may have too. Well look no more.. Lake Compounce's Haunted Graveyard is sure to scare every bit of that adrenaline out of you.

I went to this place not expecting much, maybe a show or two, maybe some cheesy effects, but no, I was obviously mistaken. My humble assistant (sister) decided to go to the park for her birthday, and check out the graveyard. Maybe for a scare or two. It was 30 dollars for a ride pass, and a pass for the Haunted Graveyard. This turned out a pretty good deal.

We waited in line for about an hour or hour and a half. We could tell this attraction was popular by the massive number of people lining up. After waiting, we were kind-of scared. I could hear faint screams in the distance, as people dressed in monster costumes creeped by us, and even scared my sister a little bit. As we entered, a masked ghoul greeted us and we walked into a dark chamber. Around every corner seemed to be an actor jumping out at you. It was extremely scary. After the first chamber we exited to the graveyard part of the amusement. This was also frightening, people stood behind graves and jumped out. I was amazed to see the people in front of us screaming in terror, especially because these people were a group of men in their mid-30's... I could already see "tough guys" trembling as we walked . We went through a series of other things, including a haunted house, jungle, and medieval chamber, but nothing could compare to what we went through next. It was set up to be kind-of a backwoods camp. People dressed in gas masks and pig faces walked around with chainsaws. The hillbilly's growled in your ear and followed you. Even I let out a few gasps of terror. Everything looked so real, the blood, the meat hanging from the ceilings, everything. I think it was the scariest because the creators did such a good job planning. You could tell a lot of effort went into this amusement, and that's what sets it apart from others.

Lake Compounce did great things with this. I recommend it to anyone looking for a quick scare. This will scare you. The Haunted Graveyard lasts about an hour to walk through and it is well worth the price. Enjoy your scares.

Mark Logan inducted into the CHSCA Hall of Fame

Mark Logan, athletic director at RHAM High School, has been inducted into the Connecticut High School Coaches Association(CHSCA) Hall of Fame.

"I look at it more as a recognition of the programs that we've had, you know cross country and track & field over the years," explained Mr. Logan who has been coaching sports teams at RHAM since 1981. "When I first started I did boys and girls outdoor track and boys and girls cross country... And then I started the indoor track program... I did that for a while. I was also an assistant coach for basketball for a short period of time." Mr. Logan mentioned that he mainly coached cross country, indoor & outdoor track programs. "The only one I still do is girl's cross country."

Mr. Logan described his appreciation for the award, "When you look at the individuals who are members of the Connecticut High School Coaches Hall of Fame, I mean it's a who's who of coaching legends in the state... And, to be in the same kind of recognition category as those guys... Really flattering and humbling... They put the plaque inside Rentschler field so when you go to watch a UConn home football game or an event there, the plaques will be there. And it's kind of nice because you know it's something that my kids and you know my family can see and my friends and relatives, it's kind of nice... I'd just like to thank the administration, the students, the atheletes, and all of the people who have been my assistant coaches over the years because again this is, this is really recognition of a collective effort." He finished with, "It's never a single person effort."

There will be an induction ceremony on November 9th, 2009 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington starting at 7pm. There will be a dinner as well as the inductees giving short acceptances speeches. Tickets are availible at the CHSCA office at P.O. Box 632, Southington 06487, by calling 860-628-4122 or by e-mailing John Fontana at jfontana01@snet.net.

Windows 7 Hits Shelves Worldwide

On Thursday, October 22, Windows 7, the newest operating system from Microsoft, began to be sold worldwide. The completely refined software was carefully created to address problems created by Windows Vista as well as to add completely new features. While some say that Microsoft develops their software in secret and suddenly releases it globally, Windows 7 has taken a whole new approach. Since its earliest plans of creation, the company has been speaking with PC creators such as Acer to get suggestions of changes to make.

The discussions have resulted in a critically acclaimed addition to Microsoft's line of software. New features include upgraded iPhone and NetBook support as well as "XP Mode", which is described by CNN as "an option that allows Windows 7 users to run a free, virtualized copy of Windows XP to run older applications that aren't compatible with newer operating systems. In some cases, one incompatible program was keeping businesses from even considering a move off Windows XP".

Overall, the new operating system has been given a thumbs up by critics and customers, but it is still too young to see if it will make the desired impact on the world of PCs. As CNET reviews said, "Windows 7 is more than what Vista should have been, it's where Microsoft needed to go. How much damage Vista did and whether Windows 7 is enough for people to finally abandon Windows XP are questions that nobody has the answers to right now."

(information courtesy of CNN.com and CNET reviews)

"The Fantasticks" Play Review

"The Fantasticks" originally opened at the Sullivan Street Theatre in 1960 and ran up until 2002. At the Long Wharf Theatre, in New Haven, the play has been revived for the audiences enjoyment.

There are eight main characters. The play begins with two of the characters coming on stage in silence. They are the Macigian, El Gallo, and the Mute. El Gallo, while he is a character serves as the narrator. He tells a story of two young people in love, Matt and Luisa. Matt's and Luisa's fathers both secretly hate one another and put up a wall between the houses. The wall is designed to pull the attraction of something you can't have higher so that their children will marry. The fathers devise a plot to have young Luisa 'raided' or 'abducted.' The plan is to have Matt come to her rescue.

The play was well directed, well-lit, and well choreographed. What was lacking was the chemistry between the characters. For such a small cast, consisting of only eight people, there must be connection outside of the theatre to recreate the realistic feel needed. Two of the characters, Luisa and Matt, are in love. It is very apparent that they were acting during one of their scenes where they kiss. This relationship is the focus of the play, and I felt that they were the least capable.

The musical voices, on the other hand, were excellent. All the characters belted out their songs with great passion. Although I did not think that all the voices blended well, they were all very talented.

rating= 4.5/5 stars
for more local plays go to http://www.longwharf.org/

Students From RHAM Expand Self-Created Football Games

Years ago, a small group of friends began playing games of tackle football in their backyards. Recently, the group has expanded and moved to new territory as the group's weekly pick-up football games, in their third year, are catching more popularity. Anthony Blake, a sophomore at RHAM and the creator of the games said, "I get exercise and get to play with my friends. We all like football but we want to play in a casual, non-competitive way." Anthony and around ten other participants play at 1:00 on Sundays at Colchester field, and they are looking to expand with new members. "We used to play in backyards, but we expanded to an actual field and get more players," said Blake. He has been talking to friends and classmates about coming down to the field and playing with them. "Once I heard about the pick-up games, I was really interested in going," said Brandon Henley, a sophomore participating in the games this weekend for the first time, "...pick up games are always a good time".

RHAM Fall Concert Review

Yesterday, RHAM High School held their first concert of the 2009/2010 school year. The Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Encore and Chamber Singers performed. The show was a success and a pretty decent crowd attended. The overlying theme of this concert seemed very fast paced, and was nice yet exciting to listen to.

The Symphonic band, conducted by Timothy C. Ketterer, performed first. The band played 3 songs, Colonel Bogey(Kenneth J. Alford), Crossings In Time(Michael Sweeney), and Chorale and Shaker Dance II (John Zdech). The performance didn't fail my expectations. Next, a quintet performed 3 songs that were not listed on the program. The performance was very tuba driven, and had a deeper, yet fast sound. After the quintet performed, the Wind Ensemble played another gathering of 3 songs including Slava (Leonard Bernstein), Across The Halfpipe (Samuel R. Hazo) and Overture to "Candide" (Leonard Bernstein). The Wind Ensemble is always talented, and didn't fall short of any past performances.

After a brief intermission, the choruses were the next on the bill. They had a special "A Celebration of Leonard Bernstein" night, performing pieces from Leonard Bernstein, an American conductor, pianist and composer. Conductor James Mirakian announced that he would be using a backing orchestra piece to accompany the singers. This worked nicely and obviously fit. Both choruses performances were great. A lot of switching between voice types occured, and created a dueling atmosphere in the auditorium. Encore and Chamber Singers performed Gloris Tibi and Sanctus . The Combined Choir's performed a choral medley from West Side Story. The pieces included Tonight, I Feel Pretty, Maria, America, One Hand,One Heart and Somewhere. I particularly enjoyed the West Side Story medley, mostly because they performed popular songs that sounded familiar. Conductor James Mirakian also utilized solos in the 6 pieces, which all were great.

Overall, the concert was a great success and I enjoyed it very much. Both conductors started the year with a bang and I look forward to listening more to the blooming music students.

RHAM Boys Soccer Results 10/20

The RHAM Boys Soccer teams played Tolland High School at home Tuesday afternoo, with the varsity team losing, 2-0. This leaves the varsity with a record of 2-10. The JV team also lost, leaving them with a record of 5-2-1. The next game is Friday at home against E.O Smith.

Unemployment Rate Raises in Connecticut

According to Courant.com, Connecticut employers cut 6, 600 jobs in September. The percentage of unemployment in September was 8.4%, which leaped from the percentage in August, which was 8.1%. The national unemployment rate for September was 9.8%. Salvatore DiPillo, the state's labor statistics supervisor said that Connecticut's unemployment rate was at its highest in 33 years. Since March 2009, the state has got rid of 86,000 jobs, which the construction industry has lost 19.5% of the jobs, not including September's job cuts. Donald L. Klepper-Smith, an economist at DataCore Partners Inc. in New Haven, said he foresees that Connecticut will get rid of 100,000 jobs because of the economic recession.

Girls Volleyball Still on Top

In the state coaches poll RHAM remains second on the list. With a new win on Friday against Maloney, that brings their record this season to 11-0. In the game against Maloney the RHAM girls won 3-0. With many caoches voting from all over the state, the RHAM girls will have to keep it up to stay on top. For more information visit
http://blogs.courant.com/school_zone/2009/10/girls-volleyball-rham-still-to.html

RHAM Varsity Football Homecoming vs Bulkeley

The Sachems (3-2) won their third straight game by beating Bulkeley(0-5) 33-6. Matt Fitzpatrick Scored the first touchdown and passed for two more. The receivers were Matt Goodwin and Eric Brainard. Brainard also ran in one other touchdown. Beau Tillinghast ran in to score the last touchdown in the fourth quarter. Joe Colletti went 3 for 5 in extra point attempts. This is the first time ever the RHAM Football program has won a homecoming game. The next game will be Saturday at 2 pm at RHAM High School vs Rockville. For more information on the program visit http://www.rhamhsfootball.com/

Campus Stabbing: Uconn Football Player Killed

On Oct. 20, at around eleven a.m it was reported that Jasper Howard, a starting cornerback for the UConn Huskies football team was killed. It was an on-campus stabbing and according to several sources, the murder took place near the student union. Police say the crime occurred shortly after 12:30 a.m Sunday. Two people were stabbed and rushed to the Windham Community Memorial Hospital. Investigators are saying that the killing happened after a school sponsored dance at the union had ended. Someone had pulled the fire alarm at 12:26 a.m causing two groups to get into an argument ending with two people being stabbed.

Howard did not have the easiest time growing up in his home town of Miami. His mother took on many jobs to maintain a substantial household and take care his sisters. His dream one day, as he told family members was to become a professional football player in order to have enough money to support his mother and sisters. The suspect has not yet been identified according to an emergency alert posted on the University Website Sunday morning. Police would appreciate anyone with information on the crime to contact the Campus police at 860-486-4800.

Man Shot While Pheasant Hunting Has "Non-Life Threatening Injuries"

According to WFSB.com, a West Hartford man was shot while hunting for pheasants on October 17th, 2009 at 10:30 am in Canaan. The 35 year old man, Peter Paveglio, was walking across an open field with another pheasant hunter as bird shot was fired in his direction.

Paveglio was hit in the head, neck and face, but all his injuries were non-life threatening. The hunter that fired the bird shot was arrested and charged with negligent hunting. The 65 year old man, Alden Brooks, is scheduled to appear in court on November 2, 2009.

Scarecrow Decorating Contest in Colchester, CT

According to the Rivereast News Bulliten, the town of Colchester is having its 10th-annual scarecrow decorating contest.

Participants line their pumpkin-headed creations along the Town Green. The scarecrows come in many different varieties. Include are a wooden scarecrow on a bike with a pumpkin replica of E.T. in an attached basket reminiscent of the 1982 film, submitted by the Riley family of Colchester. A fishing scarecrow was also submitted by the Wyatt family. Three scarecrows dressed in hot pink were submitted by "Shattered Endz" Hair Salon to raise breast cancer awareness. Local residents can go to different local businesses to cast their vote for their favorite scarecrow.

Last year, participants also entered a variety of different scarecrows. Of these were a pair of Scarecrows made to resemble John McCain and Barrack Obama submitted by "Shattered Endz" during the presidential campaign betweeen them.

"I love it... I think it's a great idea so that people can get excited about fall in New England. It's just a nice group activity," said Anita Pizutiello, Colchester Parks and Recreation supervisor and an organizer of the contest.

The scarecrows will be on the green until Sunday, October 25th. People can vote for their favorite entry at:
The Parks and Rec. Department at Town Hall, 127 Norwich Ave.
Again! Again! Kids Consignment, 128 Mill St.
Apple Rehab Center, 36 Broadway
AT&T, 95B Linwood Ave.
Plotkin's Jewelery & Gift Shop, 119 South Main St.
Plum Tomato Restaurant, 275 South Main St.
Shattered Endz Hair Salon, 75 Norwich Ave.
Skin Deep, 11 Hayward Ave.
Skyview Realty, 35 Hayward Ave.
and Subway Restaurant, 31 Halls Hill Rd.
Or mail ballots to CBA at P.O. Box 453, Colchester CT 06415

Vernon Police Search For Purse Thief

According to courant.com, Vernon Police are calling upon the public to assist them in identifying a man who is a suspect in stealing 79 year-old woman's purse. The theft of the woman's purse happened while she was at a grocery store. Without realizing she forgot her purse in a shopping cart, she drove away, but then came back within two minutes, according to police. The purse disappeared, and on video a white man appeared to be taking the purse. The Vernon Police wish that the public can help recognize the man. Anyone with information about the man are asked to call Officer Dan Champagne at 860-872-9126, ext. 281.

Music Review: Converge: Axe To Fall

Converge is a band that has defined modern day metal since forming in 1990 and their new album is no less influential. Axe to Fall is intense from beginning to end. The extremely fast pace remains constant until the 5th song of the CD, which takes a much different tone then rest of the album. The instrumentation is extremely impressive, every member of the band showing an incredible amount of control and technical skill.

If there is any downside to this album it would be that it is not very approachable to those unfamiliar to the "metal-core" genre(a mix between Hardcore-Metal and Speed-Metal). The speed of the music and complexity of the guitar riffs present throughout became overwhelming to me about ten minutes in.

During their long career Converge has been known for pushing the limit of what most people can take in when it comes to the intensity of their music and Axe to Fall does not disappoint in this aspect. The only axe I have to grind with the album is a technical one, as the vocals are almost distractingly quiet just bordering being audible which can be irritating at times. All in all for fans of converged Axe to Fall is a great album, for others their talent may go a little over the head.

Marlborough Congregational Church hosts Acoustic Cafe

On Friday evening, the Marlborough Congregational Church hosted its second annual Acoustic Cafe. The event raises money for local food banks and people attending are encouraged to donate money or charitable food items to the church for food donations. The act was put on by all ages ranging from middle school to the college years. The Star Spangled Banner was the opening for the evening, performed by three middle school girls, two singers and one floutist. The Cafe included songs such as "Swing Life Away" by Rise Against, and multiple Taylor Swift songs, "Your Face" and "Tim McGraw". Fellow RHAM students sang and played guitar as well, covering songs like "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers and "The General" by Dispatch. Matt Smigel and Xander Kousen, two members of a local RHAM band, The Tension, performed "Break the Cycle" and "Streaming" for the audience to sing along to. Mike Wood performed two of his own songs "Wooden Stakes" and "Leaders of the Future". The night even included some acapella. The song "Big Yellow Taxi", released by Joni Mitchell, was sung by a young boy named Bryce who gained support from the audience when they began to clap to the beat of the song. The band Naked Sunday, which is composed of Billy Yeterian, Jimmy Norton and Chris Yeterian (Cam D'auria not present), also played the evening with original songs "Hero" and a jam from the song "Set Me Free." The Acoustic Cafe was fairly successful in raising money for charities and held a raffle to win pumpkins that were at the church. All in all, the event was not only charitable, but provided entertainment for many ranges of ages.

Picture source: http://kpri.platformicstaging.com/images/32564.jpg

RHAM Varsity Football vs. Maloney

Last night the Sachems got their second victory of the season with a score of 26-29. this brings their record to 2-2. to start off the game David Scoville scored 2 touchdowns. After a blocked extra point RHAM scored a two point conversion to make the score 14-6. Following this Matt Fitzpatrick and Eric Brainard both scored one touchdown. There was another two point conversion following Fitzpatrick's touchdown and an extra point converted by Joe Colletti to give RHAM 29 points. During the final minutes of the fourth quarter the Spartans were far in Sachem's territory with the score 29-26. after a big gain for the Spartans Eric Buhagier came up with a game winning interception. The next game is Homecoming against Buckley this Saturday at 1pm. For more on the team visit http://www.rhamhsfootball.com/

Win For RHAM Girls Soccer Team

The RHAM girls soccer team defeated Manchester at home on Friday afternoon. The score was 4 to 2 in favor of RHAM. Goals were scored by Ashley Russo, Kristen Brett, and Julia Hersh. The lady sachems are now 8-0-1 (w-l-t).

The Sunstreak, "Until I met you" music video review

The Sunstreak is a band that is starting to emerge from the underground and become more and more popular. They recently released their first music video to their song, "Until I met you," off of their album, "Once upon a lie."

The music video was directed by Josh Horowitz, I found the way he focused shots was interesting. He would often have shots that were focused on individual members of band, Many of the shots would focus on one individual member while the rest of the band would be slightly blurry. I found this to be unique and draw attention to each member at different parts of the video.

The camera shots are what keep the video from ever having a dull moment. Nearly all of the shots are moving, the camera usually usually pans across a shot to keep variety and show more objects in the setting. The video also never stays on one shot for too long, there is only one clip that exceeds three seconds at the end of the video. The constant changing of shots keep the video interesting.

The changing of shots work well with the music. When the music is faster, the shots end up changing more rapidly. During the slower parts, such as the beginning, the shots tend to go on longer than other parts. During the Chorus the shots end up changing faster.

The video does have it's weaker areas though. The video opens with a scene that seems out of place. It features the band's lead singer sitting in what appears to be a recording studio while singing the song. While he sings he looks at photographs of a girl, the photos fall to the ground as he goes through looking at them. The music video cuts back to this scene throughout the song. The dark lighting in the room really contrasts with the overall bright coloring of the rest of the video. The scene in the recording studio also seems to imply that the singer is sad about the girl that he is dropping the photographs of. This contrasts the rest of the video where instead of mourning over the girl he seems to be celebrating his relationship with her with no clear implication of him breaking up with her in the end. This series of clips seemed to contradict the basic story of the video.

I should also take note of the story's overall simplicity. The story is very basic, it seems to be about a guy who loves his girlfriend. It is a fairly unoriginal story that has been done time and time again. I feel the video could have gone into more depth about the relationship between the guy and the girl, perhaps showing more scenarios involving the two characters (it was mainly the two of them driving in a car taking pictures of each other, stopping once to go into a CD store).

Overall, the video is enjoyable and interesting. I give it a rating of 3.5/5. I praise it mainly for it's camerawork and directing but I dislike the method of storytelling. I see a lot of talent and potential in this video and look forward to see what else they will come up with.

Entertainment Review:Norwich Dark Manor Haunted House

I have always had a crippling fear of haunted houses. The mere mention of these attractions has sent a shiver down my spine throughout my childhood. However the Dark Manor haunted house in Norwich CT changed my perception of what I had previously seen as an immature, cheap scare.
I was genuinely scared in the first 10 minutes of the tour, which I can credit to the incredibly detailed set. The house itself was filled to capacity with actors and props, meticulously decorated to enhance the experience. There were no transitional periods to ruin the illusion like you would normally find in a less thorough haunted house. The tour consisted of two floors and a large outdoor area, the entire experience lasting around 15 minutes. Considering that there is never a stationary moment and that the entire house is made into different sets, was very impressive.

The part of the house that I enjoyed the most was that it did not scare me the entire time, I actually enjoyed the experience as opposed to being uncomfortable or nauseated. While certain parts of the tour are more disturbing then others, the entire experience was so legitimate that you couldn't help but enjoy being shocked by the well planned surprises around every corner. Suffice to say this does not mean that the attraction isn't frightening, and I would advise against taking young children, but if you know what you're in for and you'd like a well planned haunted house experience look no further.

Here is a link to their official website including directions and photo previews.
http://www.darkmanorproductions.com/

RHAM and Spanish Exchange Students Go to Willimantic

On Wednesday, October 7th, RHAM students, RHAM spanish teachers, and the Spanish exchange students from Cordoba , Spain went on a trip to Willimantic. The students went to the textile mill and then walked around, viewing the sites of Willimantic such as the Frog Bridge. The group then spilt up into smaller groups, and went to different restaurants. One group went to the Mexican restaurant, Cinco de Mayo. After lunch, the group headed over to the Access Center and went into a conference room to discuss immigration. Thursday, the exchange students and their RHAM host students will be going to the Pequot Museum and Mystic Seaport.

Win For RHAM Girls Soccer Team

The RHAM girls soccer team defeated Rocky Hill on Wednesday Evening. The game was played at Rocky Hill High School. Rocky Hill lead with a score of 1-0 at halftime. Within the last 4 minutes 2 goals were scored by RHAM. Audra Ayotte scored off of a penalty kick, and Kristen Brett scored off a free kick. RHAM won with a score of 2-1. The lady Sachems remain undefeated with a record of 7-0-1 (w-l-t) and are qualified for the state tournament.

Blessthefall Witness music review

I first heard Blessthefall a couple of years ago when a friend suggested them to me. I immediately was addicted to the bands first album "His Last Walk". The young band undoubtedly had talent. Songs like "Guys like you make us look bad" and "Black rose dying" exhibited the bands unique style. They were able to combine the brutal screaming and melodic vocals in a way that really caught my attention. I was, however, disappointed to hear that the bands lead vocalist, Craig Mabbit, had left the band. While the band made a temporary replacement to finish out the tour that they were currently on, many thought the band was done. They were wrong. In late 2008 Beau Bokan was added to the band. He is definitely is a great addition to the already talented group. Bokan is able sing the band's older material and does a great job of putting his own spin on their new album. Although some may be partial to the ex-lead singer Craig, I find that Bokan is a better fit for the band's newer sound.

Blessthefall's just released their new album "Witness". They are undeniably going for a different sound than there previous album. The new album, which was released on october 6, opens with an absolutely epic intro called "2.0". In this intro the singer screams the line "we're not dead, we're not like you said, we're not dead!" This line I believe is said to assure all those who were unsure of the bands stability that they are still a force to be reckoned with. Overall the band shows a lot of growth. They seem to have become a lot tighter and more skilled as a whole. In this album they made an effort to play more complicated and technical riffs, like in the song "Skin walkers". All the instrumentalists show vast improvement. The guitarists Mike Frisbey and Eric Lambert have great chemistry and are able to produce impressive hooks that really attracted my attention. Drummer Matt Traynor shows definite progress and plays a lot tighter and faster than on the first album, and of course Jared Warth, the bassist and screamer, made the band's breakdowns much more intense. The new album sounds great from a recording standpoint as well. The sound quality is noticeably better than on the the first album. The producer, Elvis Baskette, did a great job of showcasing the band's natural talent.

Rating: 4.5/5
Blessthefall has definitely done a great job on their new album, all their fans will absolutely be pleased with the bands latest work. My only complaint is that the bands new album sounds very similar to much of the music that is being released lately, for example, "A Skylit Drive's" and "The Devil Wears Prada's" new albums. Blessthefall is certainly becomeing more popular and deserve all the credit that they can get.

RHAM Varsity Football vs Plainville

The Sachems got their first victory this season with a score of 30-14. Despite many penalties they pulled through. Eric Brainard scored two touchdowns as well as running the ball well. Matt Goodwin and Zach Surdam also scored touchdowns. Joe Colletti went 3-4 in extra point attempts as well as kicking 1-2 in field goal attempts. The next game is schedualed for this Friday at Maloney.

Macabre Art Show Review

The opening of the Addams Family Gathering, a macabre art show, was held on Friday October 2 in Middletown. It was a place of true excitement on Friday. The place was nearly packed to capacity, which gave some difficulty looking at the exhibits. However, the pieces on
display at the show were exquisite. The only requirement for the pieces was that they had to have something to do with the Addams Family. Two RHAM teachers had pieces on display. Ms. Carrie Swider made a large abstract sculpture entitled "Morticia's Garden," seen above. Ms. Shelley Osowiecki created three watercolor paintings of Wednesday Addams, the daughter of the family. One of the paintings and Ms. Osowiecki can be seen above. The art show will continue to be held at 650 Main Street in Middletown weekends October 9-23 from 11am until 3 pm. This show is highly recommended people of all walks of life.

Zombieland Review

Selling $25 million in ticket sales at the box office this weekend, Zombieland proved to be a hit. Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg star in this hilarious thrasher movie. The premise of the movie is that a virus has infected most of the human population and thus turned them into Zombies who feed on human flesh. The only remaining survivors are few and far between. The movie begins with a young man, Columbus(Eisenberg) who seems to be afraid of living, so surviving is just a matter of running away. He meets up with macho-man Talahassee(Harrelson), who is afraid of nothing; including killing Zombies. The dynamic between the two characters makes for a very funny and entertaining movie. However, this movie is not for the faint of heart. Although it was incredibly funny the Zombies are very bloody, very scary, and very realistic. The movie had just the right amount of terrorizing and comedic moments to leave the patrons with a pleased smile on their faces. 4.5 out of 5 stars

RHAM Boys Soccer Results 10/2

The RHAM boys soccer team played Rockville High School away on Friday, with the varsity team losing 3-1, with TJ Delaware scoring the only goal for the Sachems. The JV team won 4-0 with goals from Adam Graefe, Otto Holda, and two from Conor Wynne. This leaves the varsity with a record of 2-4-0 and the JV with a record of 3-1-1.

Windsor Locks murder charges

According to www.courant.com: On Sunday afternoon at around 5:30pm Stephen Anderson was arrested and charged with the murder of his neighbor Danny Lefebvre. According to the Windsor Locks Police Chief, John Suchocki, Anderson is being held on a one million dollar bond. Anderson is also charged with giving a false statement and interfering with police. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday at 10 a.m. The murder Anderson was charged for occurred on Friday. According to the article in the Courant, Anderson had helped Lefebvre bandage his knee after it was injured from his two pit bulls on Thursday. As a way of thanking Anderson, Lefebvre took him and his step father out for drinks. Arnold Mercy, Anderson's step father, heard a commotion outside later that night a little after midnight on Friday. When Mercy looked outside the window he saw a hooded man slamming Lefebvre's face onto the asphalt. By the time Mercy was able to reach the scene the man had fled. Lefebvre was later pronounced dead at Hartford hospital.

sources: http://www.courant.com/community/windsor-locks/hc-windsor-locks-arrest-1004,0,555681.story

Movie Review: 9

"9" is a post apocalyptic, animated action-adventure film produced by Tim Burton and directed by Shane Ackner. The film is based on a short film of the same name which garnered an academy award nomination in 2005.


I had very high expectations for 9, being produced by Tim Burton and being a true juggernaut of voice acting talent, starring Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau and Christopher Plummer. However the movie's star studded cast could not save it from a common fate among overambitious science fiction movies.


I'll begin with the one thing the film did right. The movies CGI is beautifully rendered and sets a realistic stage on which the story unfolds, the animation is fluid and lifelike, taking advantage of the odd cast of characters and setting to create consistently explosive set pieces for the entirety of the film. On a side note, given the budget of the film I didn't expect anything less then extraordinary when it came to the special effects.


The unfortunate reality of 9 is that despite the gorgeous images that appear on the screen, the story and voice acting serve as the anchors that drag the movie down into mediocrity. The first major disappointment was Elijah Wood's performance. Wood's character is the driving force of the story with the most "Emotional" dialog in the script and yet he reads without any enthusiasm or originality. His voice acting sticks out from the rest of the cast as irritating and generic,making the main character very unbelievable in the context of the story. On the subject of the plot, 9's story begins well but trips over its own feet as the movie goes on, eventually becoming so convoluted that the climax literally makes no sense and directly contradicts information given earlier. There is no doubt that Ackner had a very talented staff of writers, however it seems as if their ambition to shove as many "Cool Ideas" into the script conquered any sense of fluency the movie might have had.

"9" Nine was not a terrible movie by any means, but given how much money, time, and promotion went into this film I can say that I was truly disappointed by the slapdash story and mediocre voice acting that would have otherwise fulfilled the hype that brought so many into the theater to see it.

Bicycle Ride for Bruce

On Sunday, Branford held the first annual Bruce's Ride in which hundreds bicycled in memory of a lost friend and to raise money for cancer patients. The ride featured courses of all levels for all cyclist including a 10, 25, and 55 mile courses. Kids were welcome, too, with live entertainment.

The ride was held at Owenego Beach and Tennis Club to remember a Branford man who died last year from lung cancer, Bruce Pantani. "Family and friends describe Pantani as a beloved family man and member of the community". All the proceeds will be donated to cancer patients at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven. The ride was expected to be a success and continue for many years.

Source: http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_haven_cty/news_wtnh_community_bikes_for_bruce_200910040932

Mishon: "Just a Kiss" - Song/Video Review

Recently, Mishon, the 16 year-old star of Lincoln Heights, released his first single and video, "Just a Kiss".

This is the first released track to his debut album that is dropping this fall. Mishon has been singing since age nine, where he signed up with his cousin Demetreus "Doe Mac" Henderson who had just created Dynasty Records. He had recorded solo albums by age ten. After, he landed a star role in Lincoln Heights, a very popular television show. Later, he decided to begin to perfect his musical passions and he landed a recording deal with Interscope

Records.

"Just a Kiss" is a song that has its ups and downs. Mishon is a talented singer who fits well into an R&B genre. His song has the catchy, pop-driven vocals and beats to land him in the light of mainstream music. With a good-sounding chorus and occasional beat changes, "Just a Kiss" is an entertaining listen. The song, however, has some weak points as well. First of all, is sounds a lot like Chris Brown's music, which ranges from song genre to the actual music. Also, the beat to the song sounds almost identical to Jamie Foxx's "Blame It". This hurts the song because it strikes a clear semblance to other music done before. If one has a song by an artist such as Chris Brown that sounds like "Just a Kiss", it might be a factor against paying money for the new track. Also, the song talks about wanting to just kiss a girl, and although it has some story-line to it, it doesn't strike a strong connection with the listener. The song seems to be very short of a ballad and more like background music at a party.

The video for "Just a Kiss" falls short of many expectations. Although Mishon shows some very good dance moves, his video is a disappointment. It shows the singer dancing and occasionally standing with a girl while bright, neon digital effects radiate behind him. This does not add to the already un-engaging story of wanting to just kiss a girl, and it is also very distracting from the music. While Mishon dances with swirling electricity and bright fire-like effects swirling around him, it is at first interesting but after a minute or so, it proves to weaken his musical content.

Overall, Mishon's first track proves to be a strong single that has both mainstream radio and distribution potential. However, is sounds very similar to other R&B works by artists such as Chris Brown and Jamie Foxx, which takes away some of its potential to sell widely. The video showcases some talented dancing, but it does not have a purpose except to show multiple neon effects.

RATING (based on the music): 3/5 REASON: Mishon shows promising talent and he knows how to sing his way into the genre of R&B, but he lacks the original qualities and story-telling power to make his new single a top hit.

Win For RHAM Girls Soccer Team

The RHAM girls soccer team defeated Rockville on Friday afternon at home. The game ended with a score of 4-0. Goals weres scored by Katherine Lawrence, Sydney Aldrich, and Liz Weir. The lady sachems are now 5-0-1 (w-l-t).

Nationally Ranked RHAM Swimmer Has Big Plans For Future

Nationally ranked swimmier, Alicia Mathieu, has been competitively swimming ever since the age of 9. Her interest in swimming began through her love of being in the water and her thirst for competition. Alicia started taking swimming lessons and from there, was focused on the sport. The bigger news is that Alicia has chosen to attend the University of Florida as a Division 1 scholarship athlete. She explains that this was her first choice for college and she is very excited. Other schools she took interest in included Auburn and University of Cal-Berkeley. Her final decision was Florida because she wanted a place where she could be active, obtain a scholarship and strive for excellence. Alicia has competed in many meets and says that her parents and friends support her in any way possible. She has competed in the Connecticut Summer of the Year finals and the Junior National in Maiu, Hawaii. Alicia is ranked as 40th in the country and is constantly challenging herself to improve. "It gives me something to strive for and I love the results I get." she says. Mathieu is not an average athlete, she has worked hard and dedicated her time and focus to swimming. She is looking forward to more competition and will continue to challenge herself to be on top.

Pearl Street Hosts Excellent Show

Friday night, The Pearl Street Ballroom in Northhampton, Massachusetts hosted a concert which many people attended. Performing was Barefoot Truth, an acoustic rockabilly band, and fans could not be any more pleased.

Opening the show was female singer/songwriter, Naia Kete. She dedicated the song "Fighting" to a good friend of hers suffering from heart failure in California. She also performed "Prisoner" and "Heaven's Here" along with a few tracks which she is working on for a new record. Following Kete was a very diverse and crowd moving group by the name of Spiritual Rez. The band, consisting of 7 members, had the crowd dancing through their entire set. Spiritual Rez, hailing from Boston, Massachusetts includes two guitarists (one lead/one rhythm), a drummer, bassist, and a horn section featuring a saxophone, trumpet and trombone. They describe themselves as "Reggae Horn Funk Dance Party". The songs played include "Peaceful Warrior", "Alone Again" and the crowd jumping, "Stimulate Me". The 7 piece set played for about forty five minutes until handing the stage off to Barefoot Truth. Though not the main act, Spiritual Rez was an act that the crowd clearly took a liking to and appreciated the music greatly.

The main performance of the night was the lesser known acoustic/rockabilly 5-piece group, Barefoot Truth. Before they took the stage, a man in a tuxedo came out and gave a worthy introduction of the band in order to show the crowd they were in for a good performance. Members Andy Wrba, Garrett Duffy, Jay Driscoll, Will Evans and Wayno took the stage with pride and started the set with the popular tune, "Reelin'". From there, the band continued to play feel good songs including "Roll If Ya Fall", "The Ocean" and a new track entitled, "Spoonful" The group is not the average acoustic band. During the middle of their performance, the members will switch instruments and the drummer/singer, Will Evans, will come down to the front of the stage and play the acoustic. The bassist, Andy Wrba and lead guitarist, Jay Driscoll will swap instruments for a few of the songs all while Garrett Duffy (harmonica) and Wayno (keyboard) maintain the upbeat feel of the music. In the songs "Best of Everything" and "All Good Reasons", the band brought out Naia Kete to sing a duet with Will Evans. Barefoot Truth performed for more than an hour, never ceasing to please the crowd. After their last song, "Broken Road", the crowd insisted on an encore and the band gave them exactly what they wanted. They came to the stage once again and performed "Mama's Minstrel". The show could not have been a more enjoyable experience for the crowd. The bands hosted an excellent concert and will hopefully return to Northampton, MA soon.

Picture Source: http://www.thefrontloader.com/imagesforblogs/bandshots/barefoottruth.png

New desktop technician

RHAM High School has recently hired a new desktop technician to work with computers in the building. He goes by the name of Ryan Delmastro. I was fortunate enough to catch him at a time he wasn't busy early last Friday in his office. So, I gave him an interview about him being here.

Ryan started working here on September 14th. He found the job on a website called, "CTreap.net," "It's kind of like a portal where all of the Connecticut school districts post jobs, whether it's a teaching position, an administrative position or support."

Ryan works as a desktop technician which he descibes as, "a mix between IT technician & hardware/software support. Most of it is really related to the laptops." He told me how it's motherboard issues mainly that he deals with. He explained to me how teachers are often moving their computers from room to room and they're constantly disconnecting & reconnecting the cabling. Most of the problems come from all the disconnecting and reconnecting of the cables.
Ryan shares room 313 with Hector in the library. He explained to me that Hector usually isn't in the room so he often has the room to himself. "He's in and out of the office," he says, "he usually just comes to pick things up, he's based in the middle school now."

Lastly, I asked Ryan about what got him to work in this field of technology. He explained, "I was first exposed to computers in high school... It was mainly when they started intergrating computers in educational settings." He then told me how in 1998 he started using computers for research purposes. "Once I got a handle on navigating the internet I needed to know how it worked. After high school I got an associate's degree in computer sciences at Rivers Community College, and then I got a bachelor's degree from Eastern Connecticut State University."

Mr. Delmastro seems to enjoy his new job here at RHAM.

RHAM Archery Club

Today, Thursday October 1, the RHAM Archery Club had its first official meeting. Students met the club advisor, Mr. Serrell-Dube, and headed out to the red maintenance barn on the edge of campus. There they unpacked the new Genesis compound bows and went around behind the barn to set up the shoot. Students were coached on proper stance, how to hold the bow correctly and how to shoot. Each student had two turns to shoot, firing four arrows each time.

The picture to the left is an example of a Genesis compound bow the students were using today.

The club will be meeting every Thursday after school for a practice shoot.

Picture Source: http://www.merlinarcherycentre.co.uk/acatalog/genesisbig.jpg