RHAM Volleyball Update

The RHAM volleyball team defeated Rocky Hill on Friday afternoon. They won 3 matches in a row with scores 25-16, 25-12, and 25-18. The top scorers were Tessa Smolinski, Ellie Linden, and Kelsey Welling.

The volleyball team also beat Middletown on Monday afternoon. The Sachems are currently ranked 4th in the state.

School Lunch Programs are hurting

According to courant.com, schools across the country including Connecticut schools are trying to hold the price of school lunches down and still have nutritional value. The prices of milk, vegetables, and other foods have been doubling and some school officials have been complaining to the state. Some school food services had to raise the prices on school lunches. According to Nick Aldi, school food services director in Manchester, he had to raise the price of food for the schools and this is the first time has done so in seven years. However, not all school officials have been in trouble with the rising food prices. School in Bristol, Enfield, etc., has had its school lunch cost structure very low. Their lunches can be priced between 1 to 2 dollars. The biggest problem with school districts is meeting the state education department new "healthy foods" standards. Schools that follow the new standards can get a grant but hardly anyone has been able to follow these standards. Greg Boulanger, Bristol's food services director, says that healthy costs money. The schools have been trying to save money by buying foods that are cheaper, but all the foods aren't always healthy. School officials in Connecticut are concerned that the general food inflation this year could most likely cause the prices of food to go up.

Court Date Set

According to http://www.courant.com/, currently suspended RHAM teacher Bryan P. Moore is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Rockville Connecticut on October 7, 2008. On Monday, September 22 Moore surrendered at the State Police barracks in Colchester based on charges of risk of injury to a minor and enticing a minor. After posting a $25,000 bail, his court date has been set to next Tuesday.

Noah's Ark - The Return of a Legend

For the first time in 4000 years Noah's Ark is open to tourists. OK so its only a replica of the biblical boat but in Schagen Netherlands a Dutch creationist built a full sized working replica of the Ark. The replica Ark measures 150 cubits long, about 3/4 of a football field 30 cubits tall, about 3 stories and 20 cubits wide. The ark comes complete with life sized replicas of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, and bison to name a few. The top open air deck will have its own petting zoo with lambs chicken, goats and one camel. On the lower decks there is a museum of tools of the time that the first Ark was thought to have been built. The museum is even complete with its own 50 seat film theater where kids can sit and watch the Noah's Ark scene from Disney's Fantasia. A Schagen local who road by on her bike said "It's past comprehension. I knew the story of Noah, but I had no idea the boat would have been so big."

Story found on Foxnews.com

UPDATE/REPOST: Mr. Giella aka Captain Clark

History is one of the most important parts of our culture. It defines us, we can learn from it and it essentially gives us an idea of how to run society. Well, what if people recreated history and brought it back to life? Revolutionary wars, civil wars, the lifestyle and culture of the 1700's. Believe it or not, a teacher at RHAM has been active taking part in reenacting the Revolutionary war every year for the past 14 years. Mr. Giella, a graphics art communication teacher, began years ago when a student approached him and said that he needed to relax a bit and that this was something they did for enjoyment. He agreed and is now taking part in acting out how the Revolutionary war was fought. Every year, multiple times a year 76 men, women and children gather to take part in this; and many get enjoyment and a lesson in history from it. Mr. Giella explains that his favorite part of the reenactment is educating people about the history and talking to people about the events of the war. He feels it is important for people, kids especially, to understand that the Revolutionary war was a huge factor in American history. Giella portrays Captain Clark, a leader in the Revolutionary war and says he enjoys the part because it's challenging and he gets to see what Clark went through during the war. As far as where the group acts out the reenactments, they go anywhere from Lebanon, Bennington, Ticonderoga, Lexington and more. They show how the 19th century lifestyle was much different from nowadays and every person is a profession such as blacksmith, farmer, nurse and so forth. There are about 30 men and 40 women involved and about 8 children. Nathan Whitehouse, a former senior at RHAM also takes part in the reenactment and Mr. Giella says that he enjoys it greatly. People who are interested in joining can contact Mr. Giella in the art wing or log on to http://www.lebanonmilitia.com/ for more information.

[updated by Shelby: 9.30.08]

Marlborough Transfer Station Rate Change

There may be a few changes to the amount residents of Marlborough will have to pay for disposing of some household appliances at the local transfer station soon. Bill Black, Marlborough's first selectman, said that the price to drop off a refrigerator or any other home appliance that is used to keep something cool will increase. This is because sometimes there is still coolant left in the appliance and this needs to be removed before they can be demolished. Another rate change that may come into effect will be an increased charge for large trips of sticks/branches and leaves. This charge is because the town is now burning the leaves and brush on site. Smaller loads of leaves and brush will still be what it used to but the larger truck loads will cost more.

House Rejects Bailout Plan, Markets Crash

The House of Representatives voted today to reject the $700 billion economic bailout plan, which was intended as a compromise measure that would be supported by both Democrats and Republicans. As a result, according to CNN Money, the economy lost $1.2 trillion in value. The Dow Jones dropped about 7%; the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 both skidded about 9%.

The drop, one of the worst in history, was precipitated by fears about the vote in the House and worsened by the news that Wachovia sold some of its assets to Citigroup. Several European banks went under; some were federalized (as in the case of Britain's Bradford and Bingley), and others recieved AIG-style bailouts (as in the case of Dutch-Belgian Fortis), according to CNN Money.

Markets worldwide have tumbled, again spurring fears of a depression. There is still hope that the market will normalize after a short period of instability, but given the rapidly-changing situation, it is impossible to forecast accurately.

Win For RHAM Girls Soccer Team

The RHAM girls soccer team won their game today, Monday, September 29th. The team played Middletown, home, and defeated their opponents with a score of 8 to 1. Goals were made by Audra Ayotte, Ashley Russo, Julia Michalski, and Alyce Jovanelli. The team is now 4-2.

Anonymity - Turning Nice to Nasty?

Myspace, Facebook, Xanga, Purevolume. All popular websites for means of communicating online. Nowadays people say it is hard to find someone without a personal website. Lately, many have been discovering that online communication can be turning the nicest people into nasty rumour spreading ones. "It's mind boggling the things people will say and even the things I will say." says Catherine McIntyre, a 38 year old medical billing specialist from Houston. She explains that people who would not even think of saying something mean in real life, will continue the words in cyber space without question. On sites where people have open ended opinions such as Myspace or Facebook; it is simple to initiate an online argument and not be found because of an anonymous identity. People feel powerful behind the keyboard, they get a sense of self confidence and think that no one will find out who they really are.

Nowadays there are dozens of ways to communicate whether it be through email, Instant messaging, text messaging, phone calls or online blogging. But not only is this anonymity used over the web, it can happen in the car, home alone, through cell phones and essentially anywhere that a person is alone and can say what they want without judgement."Split personality" is the term often used to describe someone who opens up their feelings good or bad when no one else is around. "Anonymity has been known to draw out some very troubling behavior" says Cindy Helgason, a 48 year old soap maker from Des Moines, Iowa. People tend to get sucked into this world of maintaining that anonymous identity not knowing how to break the habit. Online, in the car, cell phones whatever it may be, people feel just more powerful when they are not face to face.


Some of you might be familiar with Topix.net. It's a blog site where people can comment on the latest news whether it be local, national or international. Here at RHAM, there are staff and students that post anonymously and use the site as means to stay in touch with current activity. However, some may say there are some comments that could be categorized as offensive, obscene and unnecessary - a good example of the problem mentioned above.

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26837911/

Loss of a Legend

On Saturday September 27, acting legend Paul Newman died of cancer at age 83. The Oscar winner was both a beloved actor and humanitarian. After a career of over 50 years and appearing in over 50 movies, the acting legend finally succumbed to his battle with cancer surrounded by friends and family in his Westport, Connecticut home. Nominated for ten Oscars in his career, and winning three, Paul will always be remembered as one of the best.

Courtesy of http://www.imdb.com/

RHAM Volleyball wins at Berlin

RHAM Volleyball won their Friday match at Berlin, 3 to 0. Before Berlin played RHAM, Berlin was undefeated. 18 combined blocks were made by Kelsey Welling and Jocelyn Taylor.

Photo courtesy of http://www.rhamvolleyball.com/

UPDATE: Student Struck by Car Expected to Recover

According to reliable sources, the RHAM Middle School student injured by a car Friday morning is expected to make a full recovery.

Washington Mutual Goes Under

Washington Mutual, an ailing bank, was taken over by the government Thursday night and quickly sold to J.P. Morgan, to avoid a $31 billion loss in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). According to the New York Times, the $307 billion WaMu is "the largest bank failure in history". J.P. Morgan and Bank of America are now the U.S.' largest banks. Both of these have taken on the assets of collapsed banks (Bank of America bought Merrill Lynch not long ago) at bargain-basement prices, and both may have made a fortune in the process. However, should they begin to suffer in today's volatile money markets, the economy may be in even further trouble.

RHAM Student Struck By Car - UPDATED

A RHAM Middle School student was struck by a car and injured near her school bus stop in Marlborough this morning. The student was taken to a hospital and her family has been notified. Other RHAM students on a school bus saw the girl after she had been struck. The school district is offering counselors and supportive services to any students affected by this incident. More information to follow as it becomes available.

[Initially reported by Eric as a RHAM News exclusive.]

The New Fire Lane

This year RHAM has painted a new fire lane on one side of the lane in front of the school. They also painted a few more parking spots on the other side. Last year RHAM had issues with to many people driving to school and then parking and blocking exits. This year they decided to try to solve the problem by painting a fire lane.

Mr. Wilson says that there are only 265 spots available to the entire student body, unless you park in the spots near the tennis courts. This is becoming an issue because there are so many students driving to school and not enough spots to satisfy them all. So students that have study halls first or second period are having to still come in at seven just to get a parking spot.

Barbecue Cookout Leads To Suspension in Middletown

In recent news, students in Middletown were suspended after they gathered outside their High School for a morning barbecue. These students were all seniors who gathered were there at around 8:30 in the morning on Tuesday.

Students said that their classes would not start until 9:30, later that morning.

Many students' parents say they don't quite understand why the students were suspended, and according to courant.com, one suspended student pointed out that they were caught with bacon and breakfast snacks rather than drugs or alcohol.

The nearly 30 students who were suspended by the principal will be out for 2 days. The superintendent of Middletown schools asked questions about the subject to the school's principal, with no immediate response.

David Blaine's Lastest Trick

This week in New York, magician Davide Blaine tried out his latest trick. He was to stay upside-down for 60 hours. But many people were left unsatisfied with his trick.

David Blaine is normally know for his amazing,life risking tricks.In previous tricks he has been encased with ice for 72 hours, spend a week under water, spend over 40 days in a box, and has even been buried alive.And this latest trick seemed like it was going to be just as big of a stunt as his recent ones. His trick was to spend 60 hours hanging upside-down in New York.He was hanging 6 stories up in the middle of Central Park. This sounded like it was going to be entertaining. There were many medical problems that could happen. The most scary one was that his brain could begin to swell. If this were to happen he could go blind.

But once the stunt was underway the fans became less and less impressed. The whole idea of the stunt was that he would stay upside-down the entire time. But Blaine frequently got up to walk around,get a drink, use the bathroom, and get checked out by doctors. He would stop almost once an hour for sometimes 20 minutes. Fans began to see the trick as pointless.

Now fans are questioning Davide's true talent for his death defining tricks. Many see the trick as a joke, while some fans are still sticking with him. They see that he will do anything for his fans, even if that means staying somewhat safe in the process. But should his recent trick really count as stay upside-down for a straight 60 hours?

Information found on-Yahoo News and ABC News

To see a video of this stunt and get more information go to: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5844197&page=1

Large Hadron Collider Down for the Winter

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest particle accelerator, is being shut down until spring. It experienced several problems, including a failed transformer and two (apparently) melted magnets. The repairs to the magnets are expected to take some time, as they must be chilled to near absolute zero in order to function correctly. Warming them up to the point where they can be worked on safely and then chilling them down again is expected to take two months or more, and CERN (the research center housing the LHC) does not operate in the winter months because it would draw too much electricity from the European power grid while demand is high.

According to ABC news, "Scientists expected "teething problems" in getting the huge and extremely complex machine running at full power." They plan to resume normal operations as soon as possible.

Further research into the origins of matter will have to wait until spring, as will fears that the LHC will create black holes capable of destroying the Earth, which LHC scientists have dismissed as inaccurate.

New Faces At RHAM High School

Do you remember your freshman year of high school? All of the new faces, classes, and activities? How did you feel? What did you think about the new setting and how did you adapt to it?

Hillary and I take a closer look at what some of the freshmen at RHAM High School think about the new learning environment.

RHAM Boys Cross Country

The RHAM boys cross country team had a meet at Wickham Park on Tuesday. They defeated Northwest Catholic with a score of 23 to 35 (lowest score wins). They also lost to East Catholic with a score of 27 to 29. RHAM athlete Reid Keener won the race and set a new course record. RHAM runner Mitch Werner came in third place. The boys were the champions of the Stratton Brook Invitational last Saturday.

Loss For RHAM Boys Soccer Team

The RHAM boys soccer team lost to East Catholic on Tuesday. The score was 2-0. The Junior Varsity team also lost with a score of 3-2. Their next game is home against Rocky Hill on Friday.

RHAM Volleyball

The RHAM girls varsity volleyball team played East Catholic on Tuesday. They won with a score of 3 to 0. The Junior Varsity team won with a score of 2-0. Both teams remain undefeated with a record of 4-0.

Girls Cross Country

On Tuesday, the girls cross country team beat both Northwest Catholic and East Catholic. RHAM won against both teams with a score of 15-50 (lowest score wins). RHAM had the top 5 runners in the race. They were Stephanie Eldridge, Lauren White, Kristen Salline, Katie Wulftange, and Heather Eldridge.

Cows vs. People: Which milk is better for use?

According to CNN.com, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) sent a letter to popular ice cream company Ben & Jerry's. The letter, which was based off of a concept first publicized by a chef in Switzerland, suggested replacing the milk and other dairy products usually obtained from cows with human breast milk. The donors would be paid for the milk they gave to the company for use, and PETA Vice President Tracy Reiman states in the letter that "Using cow's milk for your ice cream is a hazard to your customer's health." and that "Dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies, constipation, obesity, and prostate and ovarian cancer." A Ben & Jerry's spokesperson replied, "We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child,". Comments and discussion are welcomed.

RHAM Teacher Issue

According to Courant.com (and the Associated Press), a RHAM teacher was charged Monday with risk of injury to a minor and enticing a minor because of internet related activities. The teacher is currently out on personal leave.


A letter to RHAM students and parents from the administration was posted on the RHAM website. It reads:


"Dear Parent/Guardian,

On Tuesday, September 23, 2008, Bryan Moore, one of our social studies teachers, was arrested and charged with risk of injury to a minor and enticing a minor. School personnel worked closely with the Connecticut State Police Criminal Investigation Unit and removed Mr. Moore from school grounds as soon as we learned of the charges. RHAM High School and AHM will work closely with our students to ensure their safety and well being. Guidance counselors and the AHM social worker are available for any parents or students that may have concerns.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions. Please understand that due to the sensitive and confidential nature of this arrest, I am not at liberty to discuss specifics of the events.

Thank you,


Scott Leslie"

Run With Hills

On October 11th, 2008, Mrs. Hills, a RHAM educator will be running in the Hartford Marathon. The Hartford Marathon is raising money for the Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Mrs. Hills is encouraging students and faculty to run with her. Students can run anywhere from 1 to 5 miles. They can also help out and assist the runners by supplying them with water. The RHAM students and faculty are running in memory of Nikki Giampolo, a former RHAM athlete who died of childhood cancer. If any RHAM student wants more information, see Mrs. Hills.

Loss for RHAM Girls Soccer Team

The RHAM girls varsity soccer team lost today to East Catholic. East defeated RHAM with a score of 2 to 4. The RHAM goals were made by Audra Ayotte and Ashley Russo. The game was played at RHAM High School. The RHAM girls team now as a record of 3-2.

Travis Barker - Critical Condition

On Friday, September 19 former drummer for the punk rock group Blink 182 Travis Barker and Disc Jockey DJ AM were involved in a plane crash in West Columbia, South Carolina. Both are in critical condition after experiencing third degree burns. Barker was burned from his torso down and Adam Goldstein better known as DJ AM was scorched on his forearm and a portion of his scalp. The pilot, co-pilot, security guards and close friends of the musicians were killed during the crash. A coroner reported Monday that both pilot and co-pilot died from inhaling fumes and suffering from burns. One witness said he saw the the two musicians in the street near the wreck frantically trying to douse their clothes from the burning. Federal officials said Sunday that a tire blew and the pilot attempted to abort the takeoff, yet it could not be stopped. The survivors, even though in critical condition, are getting better and becoming more stable. The burns from the fire will not be the only harsh rememberance of the accident; the memories of friends and co-workers close to Barker and Goldstein will greatly be missed.





source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,425970,00.html

This Week In History

September 21: 1970 NFL begins first broadcast of the famous Monday Night Football. 1780 Benedict Arnold commits treason against the USA

September 22: 1949 Soviet Union explodes their first Atom Bomb beginning the Nuclear Arms Race. 1862 Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves.

September 23: 1846 Neptune is discovered by a German astronomer and becomes the 8th planet. 1876 Billy The Kid is arrested for the first time accused with stealing a basket of laundry.

September 24: 1789 The First Supreme Court is brought together in the USA.

September 25: 1789 Congress approved 12 Amendments to the Constitution, 10 of which became the Bill of Rights. 1957 Central High School becomes the first integrated high school in Little Rock Arkansas.

September 26: 1957 West Side Story premiers on Broadway. 1960 The first televised presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon airs.

September 27: 1939 Poland surrenders to Nazi Germany. 1779 John Adams is elected sole person to negotiate peace with the British.

this week in history brought to you by History.com

Rash of Burglaries in Area Towns

In the past three months, there has been a string of about 50 burglaries in towns around RHAM. Police say that while there are some similarities between the crimes, they are not all being perpetrated by the same people or group of people. In Hebron, where the burglaries have been going on for about a month, the town is using the resources of the State Police Troop K to analyze the crimes and hopefully identify the culprits, according to Hebron town manager Jared Clark. The town has stepped up patrols, but homeowners can help to protect themselves and their valuables by locking their homes and cars and reporting suspicious activity to the police. The town will soon be holding an information session on home safety at the Douglas Library.

There will be more updates to this story as information becomes available.

First Loss For the RHAM Girls Soccer Team

In their game against Berlin High School, the RHAM girls soccer team experienced their first loss. The score was 2 to 1. RHAM's only goal was made by Alyce Jovanelly. RHAM lost in the final 5 minutes of the game. The team now has a record of 3-1.

Boundaries

When it comes to education, where exactly does one draw the line? The question has been raised, just how far does the school's hand of authority stretch? Many students feel they are safe from the authorities of the school across the street at Veteran's Park. However, this is not entirely true. According to Principal Scott Leslie, the school's power stretches to neighboring areas if illegal activity is being practiced that could disrupt the school environment. Off-campus illegal activities, such as drug use, are usually handled by the police. However, if the activity is taking place near the school campus, the school administration does have a responsibility to take disciplinary action. In response to the presence of drugs at RHAM, action is being taken. According to RHAM High School psychologist Doctor V. Curtis Hunter, the staff has been discussing a number of options including expanded drug testing. Stay tuned to RHAM News for future developments. Please leave your comments and opinions on this topic.

No More Study Halls In the Cafeteria

Ever wake up late and practically jump out of bed onto the bus? I'm sure quite a few people could admit that has happened once or twice. One bad thing about this happening is that you miss a vital morning task, eating breakfast. You wouldn't want your stomach grumbling until lunch time, would you?


Some students in the past years were lucky enough to have a morning study hall in the cafeteria. This meant that if you forgot to eat that delicious bowl of cereal or munch on that blueberry muffin, you could do so during some of the first periods of the day. Breakfast foods or snacks are served in the mornings so students can always keep themselves from going hungry. Students could easily stroll into the kitchen area and grab a snack for a reasonable price. Now, things have been changed.


According to Mr. Mueller, RHAM High School's assistant principal, there will be no more study halls in the cafeteria. There were many reasons behind this, all which may not be considered by those students opposing this choice.


First, this change will be able to help the staff keep track of all the students throughout the school day. No longer will students be able to skip classes and spend leisure time in the cafeteria. According to Mr. Mueller, students may try to "...wait out a period in the bathroom stall...," but he says that after a day or two, "...things would get old..." This change will bring the amount of students cutting classes down by quite a margin.


Also, Mr. Mueller explained that these study hall periods where students could get breakfast or snacks turned into "...more lunch periods..." for the custodians. He explained that because there was always a lack of clean settings after some of the students left their tables, it just created more work for the custodians.


As for study halls? Well, try to eat the breakfast at home and keep to the studying.

Girls Cross Country Update

This past Tuesday the girls cross country team had their second meet. They were against the Berlin team. Stephanie Eldridge lead the girls team as the top runner. The girls won 17-46. Their next meet will be the Stratton Brook Invitational this Saturday and the boys team will also be there on Saturday. It starts at 10am so come and support your team.

Economy Takes a Beating

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 10,609.66 toady, marking a tumble of over 800 points this week, following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers (an investment banker) and the Federal Reserve's $85 billion bailout of gigantic mortgage lender AIG. Another investment banker, Merill Lynch, agreed earlier this week to sell itself to Bank of America. The Fed's bailout of AIG comes as a surprise, since it follows on the heels of the Fed's refusal earlier this week to bail out Lehman Brothers. It also seems to have frightened the market rather than reassuring it - the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and NASDAQ, all considered reliable market indicators, have dropped over 4%, according to the Associated Press.

Update:
According to the New York Times, the Dow closed up more than 400 points, relieving a little of the pressure on the market. The market, however, is still volatile.

As the market fluctuations continue, we can expect to see increasing interest rates on loans, which are a precaution against defaulting. Mortagages, too, may increase, and home values will continue to sink. According to some economic philosophies, the unrest at the "top tier" of the economy (large companies, banks, and investors) will eventually find its way down to the consumer level as increased prices, a precaution against bankruptcy. The current market crisis stems from the recent housing bubble in the U.S.; home values have been sinking, and a prior increase in subprime (relatively high-risk and consequently high-interest) mortgages caused a jump in defaults on loans and then foreclosures. This has hurt banks and mortgage lenders. Thus, the housing market needs to bottom out before the foreclosure crisis comes to a close, taking the pressure off banks and lenders. The market may continue to fluctuate for a while until it settles down. However, this may take some time - the International Monetary Fund recently said that the current U.S. market crisis is "the largest financial shock since the Great Depression".

Bus stuck at RHAM

On Wednesday, after-school, as usual people were waiting for the buses but one bus never showed up at the normal time. This bus was bus 2 of Hebron. The reason for the delay was that the brakes were locked and the bus driver was waiting for the mechanic. The bus's brakes locked after it got to RHAM Middle School.

Freshmen Football

RHAM Freshman High School Football VS. Cheney Tech at RHAM

Score Cheney Tech-18 Rham-0

-John Ware, Dylan Lalashius and Nishan Valentin all had several good runs during the game. Beau Tillinghast made two great throws to Nathan McCann, who caught the ball in between several defenders getting a round of applause from the crowd. In the end the Offense wore down and was unable to sustain a long drives.

-On defense Tillinghast made several nice plays at cornerback while Christian Catanzaro made two touchdown saving tackles. Kevin Fecteau and Dakota Dolan played well at defensive end and overall the defense played well. The defense also made a forced fumble and recovery. Cheney Tech made four big plays that cost us the game. However the defense stepped up after Cheney Tech scored each touchdown and kept them from scoring on the two-point conversions.

_Special teams played well with Catanzaro making a couple of nice returns, McCann making a fumble recovery on a punt and Lalashius kicking several good punts. Special teams is a definite strength of this team.
Overall the team played very well and the effort was outstanding. RHAM hopes to build from this game as they prepare to take on Rocky Hill on Thursday September 18 at RHAM High School at 3:45 p.m.

Spanish Foreign Exchange Student

There are a few new foreign exchange students here at RHAM. His name is Llorenc and he is from Menorca, Spain. Menorca is located in the Balearic Islands. He is a sophomore this year and he seems to be getting along with the people here and he says that he's getting accomsted to America quite well. He also says that school in Spain is "much harder" then our school although we have a completely different form of teaching. He is getting along with the people here in RHAM and he has even gone to the movies with another one of the foreign exchange students. He is also going to be here until July 2nd so he expects to make many new friends while he is here. Hopefully he brings good word of the United States back to Spain when he returns.

This is an interview of what he's done with his time here so far, the difference in cultures, and what he plans to do with the remainder of his time here.

Fall Sports Update

On Monday, September 15, the RHAM boys soccer team tied East Lyme. They played at Bride Brook Park in Niantic. The game went into double overtime with an outcome of 3 to 3. On Tuesday the boys played St. Paul at home and won with a final score of 5 to 0.
The RHAM boys cross country team won their meet on Tuesday with a final of 17-43 in favor of RHAM. The top three runners were Reid Keener in first, Mitch Werner in second, and Matt Angelo in third. The next cross country meet will be on Saturday, September 20th.

Volleyball Scores

Volleyball has started at RHAM High School this year. Their game at Norwich Free Academy went very well. The game lasted four sets and scores of the sets are:15-25, 25-20, 25-11, 25-15.

The final score of the game was 3-1 RHAM. There will be more updates on how the girls progress throughout the volleyball season.

-picture courtesy of http://www.rhamvolleyball.com/

RHAM Girls Soccer Team Still Undefeated

The RHAM girls soccer team defeated St. Paul on Tuesday. They outscored their opponent 9 to 1. The goals were scored by Ashley Russo, Abby Mulligan, Audra Ayotte, Olivia Rivosa, Julia Hersh, Micaela Connely, Mariah Lipscomb, Mariah Barrows, and Amanda Smith. The girls team is now 3-0. They are currently ranked 14th in the state.

Shooting in New Haven

Over the weekend, in New Haven, two men were shot. One of the men died and the other is seriously wounded. The man that was shot to death happened on Saturday morning. He was shot between two houses on Kensington Street. Relatives said that he got a phone call at about one in the morning and then he left the house. The other man that was shot is in the Hospital of Saint Raphael seriously wounded. That shooting happened between Edgewood Avenue and Elm Street. The police aren't telling if the two shootings are related.



- http://www.courant.com/

Water Leak

Some of you may want to know why there was water dripping from the ceiling in front of Mrs.Bender's room in the language pod. Well supposedly there was a drain on the roof that had gotten clogged. This backed everything up.

The water in the science rooms were turned off because the pipes were so clogged that water was coming back up the drains in the sinks. Yet the water in the bathrooms was kept on.

RHAM Hosts Foreign Exchange Student

This year, RHAM is playing host to several foreign exchange students. One of these students, Ariana P., is a native of Germany and is visiting the United States for the duration of this school year. She's staying with a family in Hebron; this was the same family who hosted Raemi Do, an exchange student from Korea, last year.

She has said that the school systems in Germany are radically different than the RHAM system. For one thing, high school in Germany lasts five years instead of four. Also, her school had a block scheduling system, in which each class lasted longer but only met two or three days per week. As a result of this system, she had fifteen subjects instead of the seven that she has here at RHAM.

Her life so far in America has been full of challenges; she had to go through the difficult task of filling out all of the immigration paperwork and having extensive physicals. Apart from that, she's having some trouble handling the workload that American schools dish out. Since she had a few days between each class back in Germany, she would have multiple days to complete each assignment. However, with only one day to complete each assignment, she's feeling the squeeze.

However, her American life hasn't been all difficulties. She loved the Hebron Harvest Fair, which was a novel experience for her. Also, she plays tennis and runs for fun. She's also found comfort in the fact that the food culture is very similar here to the German fare. Fast food restaurants such as McDonalds and Subway are common in both countries.

Despite her issues with homework, Ariana is really enjoying her American experience this far, and she hopes that it will continue to improve in the future.

To see some footage of Ariana in a classroom environment, look below.

New Math Teacher

This year RHAM has many new teachers and among them Mr. Gregory LaChance. He is RHAM's new math teacher. He did not originally go to college for teaching. He originally went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York getting his bachelors in environmental engineering.

He grew up in Vermont. Yet he lived in Chicago before he moved to Connecticut. He always wanted to be a teacher but went to school for engineering instead. He ended up getting certified and started his teaching career. He taught algebra and geometry in West Hartford for one year and then he joined the RHAM staff this year.

Here at RHAM he teaches algebra, geometry, and precalculus. He says that he likes RHAM and its atmosphere.

Teen Drivers With ADD - Problems On The Road?

To many young teenagers, the privelage of getting their license is one of the best feelings. Kids feel more freedom, eagerness and the "need for speed". But there was a new study done and found that young adults who suffer from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) can be putting themselves and others at risk on the road. Among the leading causes of deaths each year, motor vehicle crashes rank high up on the list and ADD and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) add to the problem. Russell Barkley, a psychiatry professor at the Medical University of South Carolina is an expert on driving and mental problems. He's been investigating this subject for 15 years and has conducted studies to prove why teens with ADD or ADHD can be viewed as hazardous to themselves as well as others. Barkley shows that people with these mental issues are three times more likely to have an accident and five times more likely to acquire a parking ticket.

Drivers who suffer from these conditions tend to be clumsy, impulsive, highly distracted, and can get bored quickly. Jerry Thielemann of Freedom and Mobility Driver Training and Evaluation in Marietta, Georgia says that "A person with ADD pays attention to someone walking down the street rather than a car coming toward them." This is potentially a very dangerous situation because they may not be able to focus on the road and could become distracted and immediately cause an accident. Reasearchers and driving instructors suggest that teens with these problems wait a little while until they are completely ready for a license and have more experience behind the wheel.

Research is showing that by limiting distractions such as cell phones, mp3 players, the radio and getting kids to take medication can increase the person's ability to pay attention to the road ahead. Don't drink and drive right? Well, it is dangerous in any situation, but for people with ADD it can be deadly. Young adults who have Attention Deficit Disorder are more sensitive to the effects of alcohol and cannot function properly when driving.

So, if you thought there were enough dangerous things to be worrying about on the road...well this is one more thing to look out for. We welcome your comments.



source: www.cnn.com

Mother Steals Her Daughters Identity

Recently, a 33 year old mother decided to steal her 15 year old daughters identity.Her name was Wendy Brown.She decided to steal her daughters I.D so she could relive the childhood she never had. So she enrolled into Ashwaubenon High School and even attended only one day. She wanted to go back and get her high school degree, and mostly become a cheerleader.But how did no one notice?

This all began even before school started. Wendy attended some cheerleading practiced before school began. And she even went to a pool party at the coaches house.Finally, after a check that Wendy wrote for her cheerleaders uniform bounced and that's when people began complaining.Kim Demeny,a high school employee, noticed that Wendy Brown looked older then most students but acted like a highschooler.

Finally, a school officer began investigating Wendy after she attended the first day of school.The principal learned that is was Wendy Brown's daughter who was enrolled in the school. He later spoke to Wendy Brown's mother, who has custody and lives with Wendy's daughter,and said that she is known for identity theft.

So far she could be facing 6 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.




(information found on CBS news(web and on TV) and AOL News)

Fish kill in East Haven

According to WTNH.com, dead bunker fish, otherwise known as menhaden, which are used as live or dead bait, have been washing up on the Branford river. The cause of death? Hypoxia, or lack of oxygen in the water. This was most likely due to a population explosion, causing a shortage in the dissolved oxygen levels. This is apparently a regular natural phenomenon that occurs every once in a great while, and that the river will sort itself out shortly.

NFL surprises on Sunday

The New York football Giants, reigning Superbowl Champs surprise no one with there 41 to 13 win over the St Louis Rams in week two. The New England Patriots playing with out their star quarterback Tom Brady come out on top over the New York Jets and their new quarterback Brett Favre in a 19 to 10 game. The big Patriots rival the Indianapolis Colts pull out a 4th quarter victory over the Minnesota Vikings 18 to 15. One over time game so far this week and that was the San Fran 49ers over the Seattle Seahawks 33 to 30. Still to play are Pitsburg vs Cleavland Sunday and Philadelphia vs Dallas Monday night at 8:30.

Another Win for RHAM Girls Soccer Team

The RHAM girls varsity soccer team won their game against NorthWest Catholic today, the score was 7 to 1. Two goals were scored by Ashley Russo, two by Audra Ayotte, two by Mariah Lipscomb, and one by Liz Weir. The girls soccer team currently remains undefeated with a record of 2-0.

Administrative Space Update

The new administrative space is coming along on schedule. The remainder of the space is expected to be finished on the week of the 22nd. Below are some pictures of the area; I'll update this with more as soon as I get inside with a camera.

New Floors - UPDATE

Many things are new this fall, new teachers, new students, and new floors. The linoleum sheeting seen last year in the 1st floor areas with lockers have been replaced with new tiling instead. A large problem with the linoleum sheeting was, according to Mr. Leslie, and improper vapor barrier that allowed the floors to decompose, causing bubbles in the sheets. The tiles were set in place to rectify this problem, and seem to be doing the job well. However, some are upset with a few of the small errors made in the installation. For instance, in the hallway leading to the atrium, the tiles placed were unevenly placed, and ended up 3-4 inches too far, and a diagonal piece was added on each side to make the tiles look slightly better, but still look rather gaudy. Even so, the school district was able to save approximately 1.2 million dollars of tax money, as the company that offered to do the tiling paid for it themself, as tiles were much cheaper than the previously used sheeting.

*Update*
The company who did the tiling did not charge the school district. The funds resulted from a lawsuit filed against the companies that installed the original flooring.

Girls Cross Country

The season for cross country has just started and the girls team is looking great. The coach for the team is Mr.Logan. So far the top runner is Stephine Eldridge, a junior.And fallowing Stephine is the varsity team that consists of Kirsten Salline, Katie Wulftange, Liz Rey, Cassidy Olio, Lauren White, and Adrienne Matunas. The varsity players have already been improving since last year,by cutting down on their times. So this season looks like it will be a good one. This weekend the girls cross country team will have their first meet. They will be racing at the Windham Invitational.The course is 2.1 miles for the freshman and 3 miles for junior varsity and varsity. If you want to come and see and cheer your team on there will be races from 9:30-3:20, for both the boys and girls cross country team.

National Swat Competition Takes Place In Simsbury

SWAT teams from all over the country, along with teams from various branches of the military, will be gathering in Simsbury on Thursday. This is the site of a head-to-head competion being held there. Teams will be using live fire to simulate many life like scenarios that they may be faced with. Though this is only training, it will have many benefits.
According to wfsb.com, though it is only training, it will be in the prescence of peers and will have many benefits. Also, the teams will be racing the clock which will bring up the heart rate and increase that adrenaline for all the officers, making the excercises much more realistic.
One of the biggest benefits of this event is that even if there is a mistake, everyone still goes home at the end of the day, says Sgt. Mike Manson, a Hartford SWAT team member. These mistakes can then be analyzed to help make sure the teams do not get hurt when they go out on a real job and are faced with constant danger.

Win for RHAM Girls Soccer Team

In their first game of the season, the RHAM girls varsity soccer team defeated Woodstock Academy. The score was 3 to 1. Goals were scored by Ashley Schwer, Ashley Russo, and Audra Ayotte. Their record is now 1-0. Good job girls!

Large Hadron Collider Up and Running; Fears of Black Holes Allayed

Top: an aerial view of the Large Hadron Collider (Wired .com)
Bottom: some of the detectors under construction inside the LHC (haisdeaks.com)


At about 3:30 this morning (7:30 GMT), particle physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN, located on the border between France and Switzerland) started up the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is a linear accelerator used to recreate some of the conditions present in the Big Bang. The Large Hadron Collider was built to smash protons together at a significant fraction of the speed of light, with the goal of discovering a "Higgs boson", a theorized particle that could explain why objects have mass. Today's test, which was completed successfully, involved sending streams of photons through the accelerator to test the machinery; experiments to gather data will not begin for a while yet, and no conclusive results are expected for several years.

The LHC has not been without controversy. When it was approved in 1996, according to BBC, it was expected to cost about £1.3 billion GB ($2.2 billion U.S.). It turned out to cost, according to CNN, the equivalent of $9 billion U.S. Critics of the project have derided it as a waste of money that could be used on research with more immediate benefits. Others, concerned with a theory that suggested LHC experiments could create microscopic black holes, went to court to try to stop the LHC from operating, though they did not succeed.

But scientists at CERN have defended the project. Fears of black holes and other dangers are "baloney", according to researcher John Huth, as quoted by CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/09/10/lhc.collider/index.html?eref=rss_world). There is a page on CERN's website enumerating reasons that it can operate safely (http://public.web.cern.ch/public/en/LHC/Safety-en.html). To those who feel 9 billion dollars is too much to spend on the LHC, they point out that discovery without a goal in mind often leads to great benefits. "When Columbus sails west, he thought he was going to find something. He didn't find what he thought he was going to find, but he did find something interesting," said Joseph Lykken, who works at the U.S.' Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, as quoted by CNN (see above). Another frequently cited example is the electron - when it was discovered in the late 19th century, it was thought to have no practical application, but electronics are now an indispensible part of our lives. Scientists at CERN hope to make similarly important discoveries with the Large Hadron Collider. To find out more about the LHC and CERN, visit the LHC website at http://public.web.cern.ch/public/en/LHC/LHC-en.html.

Thoughts? Questions? Comments are welcome!

Summer Memories

The school year has begun and summer of 2008 is just a memory now. But some will always recollect the things they did this past summer. How about taking a trip to Argentina? Mr. Paluso could not even begin to describe his journey to the South American country this past year. Cliff diving? One student describes how her trip to some cliffs was definitely an interesting adventure; and church outings were among the abundance as students, Lauren Maciag, Kaitlyn Williams and Nick S. shared their stories.

Even though school has come and there is a whole year until summer shows, these stories are memorable and exciting. From traveling, to Church excursions, to diving into the ocean, summer 2008..will be remembered.

Share your comments - did you do something interesting this summer?

Armstrong gets back on bike

Lance Armstrong has got back on his bike and is trying to win his 8th Tour de France. The Tour de France is a bike marathon, that takes place in France. He got inspired to win his 8th Tour de France, after he won second place in the Leadville 100, which is a 100-mile mountain bike race through the Colorado Rockies. It is reported that Armstrong is going to compete with the Astana team but the Astana team might not be able to compete in the Tour de France this year because of the violations that were made last year. Lance Armstrong's goal is to win the Tour de France every year. Even with battling cancer, it is still his goal to win the Tour de France this year.

Raised Driving age?

A group concerned with the safety of teenagers, especially 16-year olds, is trying to make the states raise the age before they can obtain a driver's licence to 17 or even 18. They say that this is due to motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death in teenagers, and think that if the minimum age were raised, teens would be more responsible before they could obtain a licence. Others argue that this would not allow for teenagers to slowly advance into being an adult, as they would have to cope with colleges or a job, becoming self-sufficient, and now having to drive at the same time. Comments are welcome.

Pickup Basketball Game

According to reader "Piglet", there is pickup basketball for Marlborough HS kids Tue for boys 6-7:30 and Wed for girls 7:30-9. Place is the Marlborough Elementary School.

Summer Break-ins At RHAM High School

During the weekend of July 4th, three adolescents broke into RHAM High School. They entered five different times at various intervals over the course of the weekend. At the time, custodians were in the process of cleaning the school, and left many science classroom doors unlocked.
According to the school principal, Mr. Leslie, the juveniles stole personal belongings like money and a camera. They damaged a door to gain entry to the building, destroyed locks on cabinets, attempted to start fires, urinated on carpets, and broke many pieces of glassware in numerous classrooms.
The vandals were charged with multiple charges, possibly breaking and entering, theft, and vandalism. The official charges the adolescents were indicted with is unknown. Original estimates put the damages at an approximate amount of 8,000 dollars, but after further investigation and discovery of many more damaged items, the new estimate is at a whopping 20,000 dollars.

McCain Chooses Palin as a Running Mate

Ever since John McCain chose Sarah Palin to be his running mate last week, she has been under close scrutiny by the mainstream media.

Palin has been projected as an arch-conservative by the Democratic Party; she is pro-oil drilling in Alaska, despite being a self-professed hunter and fisherman in that state. She is also strongly anti-abortion, even in cases of rape or incest. Her daughter, 17, is five months pregnant and has chosen not to abort the baby, despite her young age. She will be marrying the father. Republicans hope that her stance on this issue will secure the vote of the so-called "Religious Right".

Democrats have claimed that McCain chose Palin to be a running mate primarily to secure the vote of the female voters who would've otherwise voted for Hilary Clinton. This technique does seem to be having an effect. Betsy Newmark, a High School History Teacher, said in a post on Foxnews.com, "In many ways Sarah Palin is a model of what feminists have long said they wanted - women who are able to build a successful career on their own without depending on their husband’s position to get where they want to go."

However, one RHAM student, Emily Carpenter, said that she was insulted by the assumption that women were only voting for Clinton because she was a woman. Carpenter has a point; Clinton and Palin agree on almost no significant issues.

We asked several RHAM students and staff what they thought about this controversial issue.

Marlborough Construction Causes Concern

Recent sewer construction in Marlborough has caused problems for residents and businesses alike. The construction has been causing problems with road closings around town this past summer. I have been working on a story about this for the RHAM News. Stay tuned on Mondays for more details to come.

Portfolios Now A Requirement

This year at RHAM High School, Portfolios will now be a graduation requirement for the Classes of 2010 and later. In years past, it was an option to present a portfolio because if a person didn't pass the CAPT(the Connecticut Academic Performance Test) which is taken in 10th grade, they would have to present their portfolio to a group of teachers and they would grade it. Portfolios are also really important because they will help on college applications. Mr. Wilson, Assistant Principal of RHAM High School, said," Portfolios are a way students can do portfolios as part of the college application process." Portfolios can also show who a person is. For example, if a persons likes English, they can put a lot of English papers in their portfolio. "Portfolios show who you are. Colleges want to know who you are and portfolios help in the process," said Mr. Mueller, Assistant Principal at RHAM High School.

Portfolios are now a graduation requirement. Students in 2010 or later cannot graduate high school without one. The good news is, students will get one credit for completing the portfolio. For more information, contact Mrs. Lawson.

Soccer player gets injured

Last week one of the girls on the RHAM Girls Soccer team got injured. Many of you know who Kristen Brett a sophomore on the varsity soccer team. During one of their practices she ended up spraining her ankle. Currently, there is no definte word on how bad the injury is or if she will be out for the rest of the season. Keep posted for more details on the story.

Trooper Mystery

We have a different trooper at RHAM. Our trooper last year, Trooper Holsten, got hurt while trying to break up a fight in the cafeteria at the end of last year. He is not expected back until the end of September. We now have a temporary replacement for Trooper Holsten named Trooper Sivigni. Trooper Sivigni is only filling in until Holsten returns.

We also have our resident trooper, who happens to also be one of the football coaches, Trooper Gendron. We employ Trooper Sivigni for two days out of the week, and if something goes wrong on a day that our trooper is not here the resident trooper will be called.

Some students that I have talked to say they think that the security around RHAM has been tightened, yet according to Mr. Leslie, the troopers' hours have not changed. Mr. Wilson says that the Troopers may have made their presence more known because one of their own was hurt.

Either way Trooper Holsten is set to return to the school soon. If you feel that security has changed, please leave a comment.

RHAM Sports

Now that the new school year is kicking off the RHAM teams are starting to form. The football team has a game on Saturday and the soccer team has a practice next week. For more information ask Mr. Logan or any coaches. Mr. Logan's office is located in the guidance office near the main office. There will be more information on sports in future posts.

Vandalism

Wednesday night, South Windsor's beloved Evergreen Walk Fountain fell victim to vandalism. According to police, vandals poured massive amounts of soap into the fountain causing it to overflow massive amounts of suds. Police are currently reviewing park security tapes to find any leads on the pranksters. This is the second major act of vandalism in Connecticut in the last week. Last Friday night a gang of vandals smashed the windshields on eleven Tolland High School buses causing nearly ten thousand dollars in damage. We can only hope that these culprits will be caught. Police are asking anyone with information is asked to call police at 860-644-2551.

Source: http://www.courant.com/

Gas prices are affecting schools

Latley many schools in CT are having to cut costs due to the gas prices.But where do you draw the line of saving money and child safety. Many schools are having to change bus routes, causing kids to have to walk farther to there bus stop. Many parents are starting to worry about there childrens saftey. One mother in Middle town is outraged that she cant even watch her kids get on the bus. When kids are young its hard to just let them walk so far to the buses. They are just cutting to many stops.And now the town of Middletown is setting up a petition to stop the school from changing the bus routes.Already in East Lyme they have cut 200 bus stops And who knows, soon this could effect our bus routes too.

(information found thanks to eyewitness news and wfsb.com)

Chicago Schoolchildren Protest Unequal Funding

Earlier today, more than 1,000 Chicago students and parents boycotted the first day of classes in the Chicago, Ill. school system. The reason behind the boycott was that the amount of funding per student was considerably lower in the city of Chicago than in the outlying wealthy suburb of New Trier. The difference, according to msnbc.com, is $17,500 per student in New Trier to $11,300 per student in Chicago. Therefore, the Chicago students made a symbolic move by filling out applications to be educated in the New Trier school district. The superintendent of the New Trier district reported having received about 1,250 applications.



State senator James Meeks organized the protest himself. He spoke to the Associated Press, saying, "I do not believe that a child's education should be based on where they live...We undereducated these kids' parents, we undereducated their grandparents and now we're in the process of undereducating them." Meeks has requested that the Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, and his legistlative leaders start a $120 million dollar pilot program, funding school systems in the west side, south side, south suburbs and downstate sections of Chicago. As of yet, the Governor has not responded to these requests.

Jacksonville Jaguars Player Shot

Hey this is Derek with my first post.


Richard Collier, Jacksonville's offensive tackle was shot early Tuesday morning outside an apartment building. He was waiting for two women he and a former Jacksonville player had met that night at a nightclub. Police were alerted to a shooting that took place early in the morning and when they arrived they found Collier in the front seat of his Escalade with several gunshot wounds. It is not clear to the press where he was hit. It is not clear when he is expected to return to the game and will be missed by his team mates. Richard Collier is the third NFL player who has been shot in the last 18 months. Sean Taylor of the washington Redskins wass shot and killed during a burglary attempt on his house, and Darrent Williams of the Denver Broncos was killed in a shooting out side a Denver club.

For more info on Collier visit sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3564534
Story curtacy of ESPN.com

Health Care Company Offers New Way of Transportation

In Louisville Kentucky, one of the Health Care Programs has offered bicycles as a mode of transportation to get to work in a much more healthy manner. The company is named Humana and they allow employees to borrow bikes in order to provide a more "green" way to get to work or around the city every day. In Louisville, 2,500 people are registered in the bike program and many greatly benefit from the more environmental way they are able to get around. People can check out a bike from a local store and use it to commute, run personal errands or just ride for fun through the city. An interesting feature is that the bikes come with a built in navigation system which track how many miles the person has ridden. Dr. Jack Lord, Head of Innovations at Humana says he wants people to do things in their everyday lives that are healthy and fun. Well, bike riding is one solid solution.

What may come as a bit of a surprise about this company is that it is providing 1,000 bikes each to the Democratic and Republican conventions. Yet at political conventions in Denver Colorado, and Minneapolis Minnesota, only people who have registered for bike riding ahead of time can borrow them. When the conventions come to a stop, Lord says that the company will donate the majority of the bikes to the city for people to either sell or get use out of.

Hmm, who would have thought that in between all the events in the presidential campaign that bike riding would be involved?..

Gustav Update

A weakened hurricane Gustav is moving over Southern Louisiana. It slammed into Louisiana on Monday, hitting the heart of the fishing and oil industries. New Orleans avoided a direct hit.There was no reported damage to the newly built levees which were previously  damaged during hurricane Katrina. Due to Gustav's heavy rains, there is still a chance of flooding in New Orleans. 

According to msnbc.com the storm is headed toward Texas and is expected to drop 20 inches of rain there by Thursday. Gustav is now only a category 1 hurricane, with winds of only 90 miles per hour. It is much less severe then it was at a category 5 with 150 mile per hour winds. The only reported  death in Louisiana so far, was due to a car crash. The total death count for hurricane Gustav  is now 95. 

 Tropical Storm Hanna recently turned into  a category 1 hurricane and may hit Florida, as well as North and South Carolina in the next few days. I will have more updates on Gustav and Hanna as soon as they are provided.