Christmas tree surprise

In Anchorage Alaska citizens were more than little surprised to find something living in their Christmas trees. Pacific chorus frogs, indigenous to Washington state, were found living in purchased Christmas trees. While the amphibians may seem harmless, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game warns that the small creatures may be carrying nasty viruses and funguses. If these viruses spread to frog population in Alaska in could cause serious problems. Because of this high risk the Department of Fish and Game is asking the citizens to kill the frogs if they happen to find them. Some suggested methods of disposing of the creatures are: Placing a dab of Origel on the head will knock them out for good, or putting them in a jar and putting them outside (the cold will kill them). While the reaction seems harsh, the Department of Fish and Game finds it critical that the frogs do not escape into the Alaskan habbitat.

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34485218/ns/us_news-environment/

Brittany Murphy Dies

Early Sunday morning, December 20, 32 year old actress Brittany Murphy died. Murphy died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre after going into cardiac arrest at her home in West Hollywood. According to sources, her mother found her unconcious in the shower and the LA Fire Department said they responded to a call around 8:00am. Former co-star and exboyfriend Ashton Kutcher wrote on his Twitter page today, "the world lost a little piece of sunshine...". "see you on the other side kid".

Murphy starred in movies such as "8 Mile", "Just Married", and "Uptown Girls".



http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5BJ1MZ20091221

Woman Robs Plainfield Bank

According to courant.com, a woman robbed the Eastern Federal Bank on Lathrop Road. The woman walked into the bank at 11 am with a scarf around the face and handed the teller a note demanding cash. She left with an undetermined amount of cash, according to police. The woman was described as white, about 5 foot, 7 inches, a thin figure, and brown hair. When she robbed the bank, she was wearing dark pants, a tan jacket, and a green knit hat. After she left the bank, she walked across Lathrop Road to the McDonald's Plaza and got into a gray or silver Toyota Scion with out-of-state plates. The car plates might have been from Maine or New Hampshire, according to witnesses. The car was last seen going onto Route 12. Anyone who saw this woman cross the street should call Plainfield police at 860-564-0804, or the tip line at 860-564-7065. All calls are kept confidential.

Armed Robbery in New Britain

According to Courant.com, the TD bank at 252 Allan Street was robbed by two armed men around 2:45 pm on Saturday. The 2 men were described as Hispanic, around 20 to 30 years old, and both were about 5 foot, 7 inches tall with medium body frames. One man was wearing a blue New York Giants sweatshirt, a ski mask, and gray and black gloves. The other man was wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt and black jacket over the sweatshirt. He was also wearing black gloves and a ski mask. According to police, there was a confidential amount of money stolen. If anyone knows any information on the robbery they should call the police department detective division at 860-826-3065.

RHAM Welcomes Mr. Kokus to the Staff

Following the passing of the late Mr. Ketterer, the RHAM administration had to look for a replacement to continue the band program. Mr. Kokus applied for the job and was hired. He was teaching music to elementary school kids at Smalley in the New Britain school district as well as being assistant director to Killingly's marching band and jazz band. He says he wanted to come to this school because of its good history in music, the big support for music, and its good reputation. He doesn't plan on making any big changes to the program but he does plan to improve and expand it. RHAM Students and Staff wish him good luck in the upcoming year.

Woman Charged With Second-Degree Battery

Carolyn Brown was charged with second-degree battery after being accused of pouring a pot of scalding hot grits on her sleeping boyfriend. The sherrif's deputies of Boutte, Louisiana said the 44-year old woman burned the man's arms and face badly. Her boyfriend said he came home, they argued, he said that he was breaking up with her, and shortly after he went to bed. She allegedy fled the home and was apprehended on Paul Miller Rd. Brown was arrested Wednesday.

All information found at:
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2009/12/grits_burns_lead_to_battery_bo.html

Man Hit with Raw Steak

In Dunnellon, Florida a woman was accused of hitting a man with an uncooked steak. The police report said that the man told authorities that 53-year old Elsie Egan hit him multiple times with a raw steak and slapped him in the face. The reason he gave for her actions was that he refused a slice of bread and instead asked for a roll. The woman did not admit to hitting him with meat, but that she did slap him. Egan said that she did this so that, "he could learn." The man refused medical treatment. He told authorities that Egan lived with him as his girlfriend.

All information found at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_odd_meat_attack;_ylt=AqYuEp99xzcRlgWMMkL899Ejr7sF

Popular Facebook Game More Then Meets The Eye

It has recently come into the public eye that an online game made popular by Facebook has been sending hundreds of pre-made letters to congress protesting the presidents proposed public healthcare bill. Sources say that insurance companies have been sponsoring the game and through offering in game money in exchange for taking "Sureveys" the program would immediately send one of a handful of fabricated letters expressing concern at the healthcare bill to members of congress.

The games that have been found to have sent out the most of these letters were Farmville and Mafia Wars and considering the millions of avid players one can only imagine the number of letters sent to congress. No word has come from congress acknowledging the scam or condemning the companies for taking advantage of the nations youth.

Source
http://www.businessinsider.com/health-insures-caught-paying-facebook-users-virtual-currency-to-send-letters-to-congress-opposing-reform-bill-2009-12

One Killed And Two Injured In Hartford Store Shooting

During a dispute two men drew weapons and opened fire on one another in a Hartford dollar store at around three O'clock. An eyewitness claimed that a woman attempted to diffuse the confrontation before the men hurt one another, however she was shot as well when shots were fired. An employee called 911 and the local police were quickly dispatched.

Source
http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-shooting-1213,0,6567720.story

Wrestling Proves to be an All-Day Struggle

Many people see High School Wrestling as a sport where athletes give their all during grueling practices and many matches and scrimmages. As the new season is starting up, however, some of the hardest times lie outside the mat. Wrestlers have to cut their weight down as much as they can to make it into lower weight classes. The lower the weight class, the smaller their opponents will be and the more of an advantage they will have. Sophomore Brandon Henley, who wrestles for RHAM High School, said "... I am 158 and I need to get to 154 so I'm eating healthier and working hard during practice." He went on to say that if he did not lose weight and wrestled at the 160 pound class, he would be wrestling against naturally 170-pound teens that cut their weight down.

Some wrestlers have to put immense amounts of energy into cutting their weight. Alex Stratton, a sophomore and wrestler at RHAM High School, cut down to a 103 pound weight class in a matter of a few weeks. His weight before the season was around 114 pounds. Alex said he spent days training hard and dramatically cutting down his food intake to shed the pounds he needed.

NASA Spacecraft Launch Gets Pushed Back

(courtesy of CNN.com)

NASA was recently planning to launch a spacecraft that was going to scan the sky for objects that were not able to be seen from Earth. The craft had a problem with its equipment and its launch was delayed. The "Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer" is set to launch this Monday. "The WISE spacecraft will circle Earth over the poles, scanning the entire sky one-and-a-half times in nine months. The mission will uncover hidden cosmic objects, including the coolest stars, dark asteroids and the most luminous galaxies," said NASA.

The picture located on this page shows a depiction of what the spacecraft looks like. Image courtesy of NASA.

Winsted Police Seek Help In Finding Missing Teen

According to courant.com, Winsted police need the public's help to find a missing 14-year-old boy. Police say that the boy ran away from his home on Thursday night. The boy, Ronald Cellano is described as 5 feet, 6 inches and 180 pounds and he has brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing jeans and a black hooded sweat jacket. Police expect that Cellano is still in the Winsted area and are asking people to call the Winsted Police at 860-379-2721 if they have seen him.

Enfield Man Killed In Car Wreck

According to courant.com, police said that an Enfield man's car ran into a tree early Sunday and he died at the scene. The man was Thomas Cierpik, 31, of Weymouth Road. Cierpik was driving east on Weymouth Road, when he lost control of his vehicle and ran into a tree at the intersection of Weymouth and Bess roads, according to police. Police were called to the scene at 4:44 am and they reopened the road at 11 am. Anyone that saw the crash are asked to call Officer William Viewig at 860-763-6400 x1276cq.

Switchfoot Review

Switchfoot played the Webster Theater on December 12th. They began the show by playing every song off their new album, Hello Hurricane. The songs began to blend together toward the end of the album because their sound is very consistent. After they played their new album, they began to play some of their older, more popular songs including Dare you to Move and Meant to Live. Switchfoot left the stage, but soon came back for their being begged for an encore. Instead of playing another one of their songs they ended the concert with Feliz Navidad. The crowd was thoroughly pleased.

4.5/5

New Bone Marrow Transplant Possible Cure For Sickle Cell AnemiaDRAFT

Scientists have recently come upon a process that they believe may lead to a cure for sickle cell anemia, a disease that is extremely common in African Americans and causes chronic pain and shortens life expectancy.

The treatment in question is a bone marrow transplant that was previously reserved for children, the transplants pre-transplantation prep phase was considered too grueling for people who had sustained organ damage from the disease over the course of a lifetime. This marrow transplant is lauded by scientists because it lacks the heavy doses of radiation and chemotherapy that were too intense for adults and has been shown to only target the malformed blood cells the disease is named after.

Nine out of ten patients receiving the bone marrow transplant were considered cured of the disease and the discovery has brought hope to countless victims of the crippling illness.

Source
http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/articles/2009/12/09/bone-marrow-transplants-may-cure-sickle-cell-in.html

Saving Darfur at RHAM

One of RHAM's seniors, Eric Trott, has been involved with the "Save Darfur" project since his sophmore year. Last year he ran the entire project himself. Since then he has raised about $900 toward the releif effort. How does the money raised benifit Darfur? Since money would be robbed, it goes to buy things the refugees need such as grills, food, clothing,...ect. When asked why he felt he needed to make a change he said,"I care about Darfur because I made a promise to my friend that I'd carry on the collections...considering the massive displacement, rapes, murders and starvations going on, it is something that needs to be adressed." If you feel moved by this one person trying to make a diference and want to save Darfur as well, you can find Eric in the atrium or go to savedarfur.org.

Music review: "Bleach"(2009 re-issue) by Nirvana

Album: Bleach
Artist: Nirvana
Label: Sub-Pop
Genre: Grunge

Personal
Kurt Cobain(Credited as "Kurdt Cobain")-vocals, guitar
Krist Novoselic-bass
Chad Channing-drums

In 1989, the Seattle Rock Band, Nirvana, released their debut album, "Bleach." It's been twenty years since then and to celebrate this anniversary, Sub-Pop has re-released the Album with remastered recordings, new pictures, and a recording of one of their concerts in 1990.

Music
Most of the songs are very loud, expressing angst typical of grunge bands. The majority of the songs feature Belting vocals, providing a strain on Kurt's voice that can be heard on tracks like, "School," which features an impressive chorus where Kurt yells, "No Recess!"that evokes a type of raw energy of anger and

Contrary to the belting vocals of "school," the song, "About a girl,"(which was written about Kurt's problems with his then-girlfriend) has lyrics like, "I do think you'll fit this shoe," and the gentle wail of, "Take advantage while, you hang me out to dry. But I can't see you every night, for free," which express a sense of emptiness and longing for associated with a girl always seeming to be disappointed.

The anger and pain expressed in Kurt's straining voice is matched only by the grittiness of his distorted guitar riffs. The song, "Scoff" opens up with a twang which then transforms into a heavy metal guitar riff. The a simple beat continues through the song, slowly building up tension until out of the commotion of the song comes a wailing guitar solo. The solo sounds something like a wailing child. The guitar in "Blew," sloppily synchronizes with the bass in a instrumental expression of cynicism and disorientation in the most beautiful way with the vocals floating on top.

Extra-features:
Being a re-issue, the material was added to the CD. The album features a small booklet filled with different pictures of the band. The photographs range from live concerts to practice sessions, from promotional photos, to the contract the band signed with Sub Pop records.

Also added to the CD is a recording of one of the bands concerts from 1990 in Portland, Oregon. The concert features most of the songs on the album as well as a few singles the band did not release on an album. The recordings are clear and I enjoyed listening them but the concert does not seem to be anything incredibly special. It also seems to be added just to take up space on the CD. Yet it does provide an idea of the band's stage presence and it's an enjoyable set of recordings.

Last words
The album paints a picture of an indie band being led by an troubled yet ambitious leader taking on the Seattle Grunge scene. The songs express a variety of different feelings and aspects of Kurt's life and outlook upon the mixed up world he was raised in. The songs sound clearer than the original recordings on the CD. There may not be a gold mine of new material but it will not disappoint. I suggest this album to any Nirvana fan who either hasn't heard the original album or likes to collect every CD, DVD, etc. that exists of the band. But if you already have the original CD, you can probably live without this polished up version.

Rating 4.5/5

Innovation gives way to breakthrough in Mind Technology

In this day and age, anything involving technology seems possible. Scientists are constantly discovering new theories in order to further their knowledge of human interaction and technology. One of the most innovative machines of the decade is mind boggling, literally. Neuroscientists who study the inner workings of the brain's major functions have recently designed a machine which allows people to type letters with their minds. Telekinesis has never seemed so obtainable. Scientists believe that this interface will enable a person to communicate with thoughts rather than actual words on a screen. Neurologist Jerry Shih from Jacksonville Florida wanted to test the machine on patients who suffered from epilepsy in order to see how their brain would interpret the images of letters.

In order for this machine to function properly, electrodes are placed directly onto a patient's brain which transmit the signal of imaged letters. Patients of the experiment were positioned in front of a 6 by 6 grid that contained a letter inside each square. The doctors asked the patients to focus on a letter which then transferred into a computer and indiciated whether or not the brain stimulated a response. The neurologists soon made the connection that when a patient studied the letter on the grid, it showed on the computer. The major component of this experiment is the brain waves. Doctors would need to perform a craniotomy which involves a surgical cut into the skull to reach the surface of the brain. The collective goal of the scientists is for "tele-technology" communication to be plausible. "Our goal is to find a way to effectively and consistently use a patient's brain waves to perform certain tasks." Shih explains.

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34312937/ns/technology_and_science-science/

East Hartford Fire

An all day fire in East Hartford today caused an enormous amount of black smoke that could be seen for miles. The fire started around 9 a.m at 71 George Street in a commercial building. Many firefighters from surrounding towns including Manchester, Hartford, Glastonbury, New Britain, and West Hartford were called in to help. East Hartford Assistant Fire Chief William Perez explained that the fire moved "into an office building at 79 George St., destroying that building as well". The workers had been evacuated by the time help arrived. The cause of the fire is still undetermined.

Information Courtesy of: Journal Inquirer

Man Arrested for Stolen Christmas Tree

Phillip Menefee from Portage, Indiana was apprehended by the police at 1 am with a stolen Christmas tree on the front of his motorcycle. The police had been investigating a loud motor noise reported around the area of a Christmas tree lot. The police found him intoxicated. During questioning he said that he had purchased the tree. The tree, that still had the tag on, was returned to the lot.

All information found at
http://www.courant.com/news/nation-world/sns-ap-us-odd-christmas-tree-theft,0,1170958.story

Childhood Obesity Linked to Missing DNA

Researchers report some children become obese due to a lack of a particular DNA strands which effects their hunger. British researchers looked at the DNA of 300 obese children looking for a deletion or extra copies of DNA strands. They believe these rare deletions of DNA may promote obesity in children. Dr. Sadaf Farooqi from Cambridge University said "That deletion, on chromosome 16, apparently causes trouble because it removes a gene that the brain needs to respond to the appetite-controlling hormone leptin". During the study, those children with a deletion on the 16th chromosome, "have a strong drive to eat" stated Farooqi.



Story Source: http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/health/Missing-DNA-promotes-childhood-obesity1260124577924

Picture Courtesy of: http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss_070921_fatkids/070921_fatkids_tease.300w.jpg

Movie Review: Old Dogs

"Old Dogs" is a Disney comedy about two middle aged men who become the parents of two six year old twins. The film stars Robin Williams and John Travolta as two single business men who throughout the film attempt to find real meaning in their lives through a series of humorous situations.

"Old Dogs" is a film that plays off the conventions of family comedies to the point that it takes away from the film. The film sets itself up to be a classic trial-tribulation-moral lesson story from the start. While it has it's fair share of humorous moments they are more then predictable, being carried by Williams and Travolta's performances.

The funny moments that make up the film rely on set pieces and celebrity appearances, one notable one being from Justin Long. Old Dogs is a very predictable and very average family comedy that in light of other films of a much higher caliber being released at the same time, appears even less appealing.

2/5

Music Review: We Came As Romans: To Plant A Seed

We Came As Romans is a Detroit based post-hardcore band who was signed to major record label "Equal Vision Records" last April. Their latest album, "To Plant A Seed", was released November sixth and the band is currently touring the U.S to promote it. Their last release was an unnamed EP dubbed the "Motions EP" by fans, two of the songs from Motions have been rerecorded for To Plant A Seed.

First off, I have to state that To Plant A Seed's recording and mixing quality is phenomonal. There was never a moment during my playthrough of the album that I thought certain levels should have been raised or lowered. The album itself is made up of eight new songs and two reproduced ones, Dreams and Intentions. The album starts off very strong with the title track "To Plant A Seed" which is one of the heaviest and driving tracks of the entire collection. The band has stuck to their strengths, a powerful mix of brutal hardcore vocals, clean piano melodies, and electronic beats which are all perfectly balanced in the eight songs written for the album.

The new track I enjoyed the most was "We Are The Reason", which begins with a haunting bell solo and moves into what I felt was one of the albums most powerful songs. As much as I enjoyed the new material written by the group, I can say that I hands down enjoyed the remake of "Intentions" more then any other song. As a fan of We Came As Romans I would purchase the album for this song alone, a fan favorite carefully reproduced and polished to perfection.

To Plant A Seed will not dissapoint any fan of We Came As Romans and should impress anyone familiar with the post-hardcore or metalcore genres.

5/5

Two Defendants In UConn Stabbing Due In Court

According to courant.com, two men that were arrested after the stabbing death of UCONN football player Jasper Howard are due in court this week. Jamal Todd is scheduled to make a plea on Monday to the charges of reckless endangerment and lying when reporting an incident. On October 18, the night Jasper Howard was killed, he is charged with yanking on a fire alarm at a school dance. For Hakim Muhammad, a pretrial hearing is scheduled for Friday. Police are saying that he pulled out a knife during a fight that happened after a school dance was evacuated. Muhammad has pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to carry out assault. John Lomax the third, the man, who is charged with Jasper Howard's murder has a hearing scheduled for December 17.

Cooking Class is Held at Marlborough Arts Center

The Marlborough Arts Center is a non-profit institution that works to put on classes and exhibitions for cultural, artistic, and historical programs. Located at 231 North Main St., the arts center had been established inside a restored historical building. Recently, the Arts Center offered a cooking class with Diane Sandler, a Family and Consumer Science teacher at Windham High School, to all who were interested.

Held in Diane's home, the class titled "Homemade Breads and Soups" consisted of eight aspiring home cooks that all wanted to take notes and learn a bit about cooking up homemade meals. The class learned how to make San Francisco cioppino, curried pumpkin, lemony scones with dried fruit, pear soup, and garlic herb bread. Cindy DeLorenzo, a corresponding secretary of the Arts Center's Board of Directors, said, "Diane not only gives you recipes, she educates about techniques and tools, alternatives to substitute, as well as where to buy items."

Diane's next cooking class, "Hearty Fare", will be held on January 18, from 6 to 8 pm.

(courtesy of ReminderNews)

Letter Written by George Washington Brings in Loads of Money

(courtesy of CNN.com)

Recently, a letter written by first president George Washington was sold though a company called Christie's. The company was expecting anywhere between $1.5 to $2.5 million for the letter. When auction time came, the final bid was an outstanding $3.2 million, the highest one has ever paid for a letter written by George Washington.

The letter was originally sent in November, 1787 to his nephew Bushrod Washington. In the letter, Washington talked about his liking of the new Constitution and he talked about the various benefits and good policies it would provide for the country. "Washington professed neutrality in public, but to Bushrod expressed his unequivocal conviction that the new Constitution must be ratified, in spite of opposition from many special-interest groups," said Christie's, the auction house that sold the letter.

There was a letter last year written by Abraham Lincoln sold for $3.4 million.

Man Killed In Hartford Fire

According to courant.com, there was a fire on Bristol Street that killed one man on Friday. The state medical examiner's office identified the man as Anthony Varjabedian, who was in his mid- 50's.The fire started in the basement of 5 Bristol Street and then expanded into the upstairs part of the house. The man was found not moving on his kitchen floor by firefighters, who came to the house after 4 am. The emergency crew pulled Varjabedian from the house and performed CPR on him. He was then taken to Hartford Hospital, where he died, according to Capt. Ronald Chance. The fire was under control in 20 minutes and caused a considerable amount of damage to the small Cape Cod-style home. The first-floor bedroom caved into the basement. The fire was apparently accidental and appeared to be electrical, but it is still unclear of what caused the flames to ignite, according to Chance. This death was the first fire-related loss in the city since November 2007.

Kidney Donation by Colchester Man

In Connecticut there are over one thousand people that need a kidney. Fred Brown went to Hartford Hospital on December First to help one of these people get the new kidney that they need to stay alive. 43 year old Brown says, "I wanted to help save somebody’s life." Brown is one of only 15 altruistic donors since this program began. An altruistic donor is when the donor does not know where or who their organ will go to. Although he will not know who his recipient will be he does plan on finding them after the procedure.

For more information go to:
http://www.norwichbulletin.com/colchester/x1945275159/Colchester-man-donating-kidney-to-stranger

For more information on donating a kidney go to:
www.kidneyct.org