Update: Shoe-Thrower Monument

The BBC reports that the sculpture has been removed and destroyed at the order of the local government, which said that children should not be exposed to political issues.

Loss for RHAM Girls Basketball Team

The RHAM girls basketball team lost at home to Berlin on Thursday night. The final score of the game was 54-33. The lady sachems are now 2-10.

Iraqi Orphans Help Build Monument to Bush Shoe-Thrower

Image: CNN.com

Iraqi orphans in a small city north of Tikrit raised money to help artist Laith al-Amiri build a sculpture commemorating an incident in which an Iraqi journalist, Muntadhir al-Zaidi, threw his shoes at President Bush at a press conference. The children, according to the director of their orphanage, "were the victims of Bush's war", according to CNN. al-Zaidi is facing criminal charges, but he is widely considered a hero in Iraq. The sculpture now resides in Tikrit's orphanage.

Blagojevich Impeached

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was removed from office by a 59-0 vote in the Illinois State Senate today, on charges of corruption, the most notable of which being his attempt to sell President Obama's former U.S. Senate seat. Blagojevich has also been banned from holding office in Illinois. He is now awaiting a criminal trial for bribery. He is the first governor to be impeached since Evan Mecham, Governor of Arizona, in 1988.

Blagojevich has maintained his innocence and questioned the evidence against him presented by the Federal Bereau of Investigation. After recieving the verdict, he stated that he was not surprised but also "saddened and disappointed".

Sources: BBC, MSNBC

The Purse Snatchers: Liberty and Union Music Review

The Purse Snatchers, a band made up of RHAM Alumni released their newest CD, Liberty and Union. While a band not known by many, The Purse Snatchers cannot be overlooked with awesome tracks such as The Message (The sample on this page), it proves that if you set your mind to it, you can accomplish amazing things. I would rate the album with a 9/10, simply because I wish there were more tracks on the CD than six.

UConn Men Defeat DePaul

The UConn Huskies basketball players are like any other players, they have good nights, maybe even great nights, and sometimes they have tough nights where nothing seems to go for them. This is how the UConn huskies looked after the first half. They had allowed 22 points in the paint and had only one block in the first twenty minutes.

One big difference between the good teams and the great teams is depth of the lineups you have available. UConn brought out many of their bench onto the court throughout the game and took it away in the second half.

They started with a three-guard lineup and went on a quick 10-2 run, and from there, it was easy to see who had fallen victim to fatigue. According to Courant.com, "We are tired and worn out," coach Jerry Wainwright said. "They are a very physical team. We got beat up pretty good in the second half." The Huskies played a very physical game on both sides of the ball, and that payed off for them in the end. The final score of the game was UConn 71, DePaul 49.



Second ranked UConn will play Providence next on Saturday January 31st

Two Car Crash in Marlborough

At 1:50 pm there was an accident between two mini vans at the bottom of the Twin Hills on Rt. 66 in Marlborough. The crash appeared to have been caused when one mini van could not stop coming onto 66 from a side street. The other mini van collided at a 90 degree angle, both cars receiving large damage to the front drivers side. Both drivers seamed to be o.k. just shaken up after the crash. Both vehicles were certainly totaled as one van no longer had the front drivers side wheel attached and the other car sustained large damage to the front. Police and ambulances were called to the scene. Wet weather and slippery conditions was probably the main cause.

House Rejects Digital TV Switch Delay

A proposed delay to the Federal Communication Commission's plan to end all analog TV broadcasts, which has passed in the Senate, did not pass in the House of Representatives when it came to vote today. Proponents of the delay, which received unanimous support in the Senate, are worried that the country cannot handle the end of analog TV; despite years of public notice, millions of TV sets still do not use digital signals. The FCC has been providing $40 discounts on analog-to-digital converters, which allow analog sets to use digital signals, but recently ran out of money. Opponents of the delay point to the huge expenditure on public notification and the additional cost to stations of maintaining their analog transmitters.

The switch, which is part of an effort to reclaim and reorganize parts of the airwaves used for broadcast, will go into effect on February 17. To find out more, and to check whether your TV needs a converter, visit the FCC's site devoted to the transition at http://www.dtv.gov/.

Sources: FCC, CNN.com

Winter X Games 13

Every year scince 1997 when the new year starts you can be sure that the Winter X Games, known simple as Winter X to its fans, will come again. Last week Winter X Games 13 happened in Aspen Colorado. Like the Olympics for extreme sports the X Games every year sets new recordss and pushes the athletes to new height in more ways then one.

Shawn White, possibly the most well known snowboarder, managed to do something no man or woman has done in the 13 years of Winter X. He won the superpipe mens gold medal for the second year in a row. Torah Bright won the gold medal in the womens superpipe.
Levi LaVallee was the first person ever to try to land a double backflip on a snowmobile in competition. He almost landed it but over shot the landing ramp and couldn't stay on the sled.
For other scores and highlights from the 4 days of Winter X 13 go to ESPN.com.

Videos:
Shawn White's Slopestyle Final
Levi's Double Back Flip


Story courtesy of ESPN Videos from ESPN and YouTube

Fall Out Boy Music Review

Fall Out Boy has been a major hit ever since their first hit "Sugar Were Going Down" back in 2005.And their newest CD Folie A Deux (the band's 3rd CD) just proves the band is stronger then ever. Their new CD came out in December and is their 2nd CD in two years. The band put a new inspiration into the CD."(It's) dissecting how self-motivated our culture is," singer Patrick Stump stated. They didn't want to spend too much time perfecting, but just create good music. The whole CD is filled with hit after hit with songs like "I Dont Care", "America's Suitehearts" and their own version of Michael Jackson's "Beat It".

If you've never heard of Fall Out Boy they are a group of 4 guys with an upbeat rock sound. They are known for there crazy bass player Pete Wentz and lead singer Patrick Stump. But the drummer, Andy Hurley, and guitarist ,Joe Trohman, are also an amazing part of the band. The four guys come together to create many hit songs like "Sugar Were Going Down" and "Dance Dance".But their newest single "I Don't Care" may just top their other hits. The song has very strong lyrics. The chorus is very catchy with quite the statement-"I don't care what you think,'Cuz as long as it's about me.The best of us can find happiness.In misery" The music video for the song just adds to the many interesting videos. Their videos always are different from any other videos out there. In their "I Don't Care" video it shows the members of the band causing havoc amongst the city and pulling pranks. If you want to listen to a upbeat catchy song with unique lyrics you should definately check out this song. It the kind of song that anyone can enjoy and have stuck in their head. I'd recommend it for any fan of other Fall Out Boy songs or somone who just enjoys a good upbeat rock song. I'd give this song a 5 out of 5 hands down.(1 being the worst 5 being the best). If you want listen to the band or their new single check out their website-http://www.falloutboyrock.com/

RHAM Basketball Loses to Rocky Hill

The RHAM girls basketball team lost to Rocky Hill on Monday night. The game was played at RHAM and ended with a score of 44-26 in favor of Rocky Hill. The next game for the lady Sachems is on January 29th, at home.

ScooterSmiff Music Review

Kids are getting recognized at such a young age nowadays that it is hard to keep track of all of them. The music industry is bigger than ever with up and coming stars from every genre. Recently discovered, Baltimore born Scooter Smiff stands out from most. He is twelve years old and can already choreograph and rap his own songs. He enjoys acting, dancing and writing yet even though he may be in the limelight at the moment he consders himself a regular kid. To the rest of the world and the music industry he is anything but regular. Smiff performed on Showtime at the Apollo where he was introduced with former R&B sensation group B2K. One of the members from the group had watched Smiff perform and was very impressed so he sent the 8 year old star to record in Los Angeles. The most prominent moment to Smiff was when he got to meet R&B superstar Chris Brown. Soon Scooter was appearing in Brown's videos and has met other artists such as Sean Kingston and Lil' Mama. Many believe Smiff is Chris Brown's little brother but he denies the fact. "Chris has been like a big brother to me and I love him, but he is not really my brother!" The 12 year old explains. He is currently working on two singles titled "Head Of My Class" and "Fresh To Def" which feature Chris Brown. Scooter Smiff is continuing to grow in the R&B industry and plans to make it big in a few years. He is an accomplished actor who stars on the third season on the hit show LOST and will star alongside John Malkovich and Michelle Rodriguez in Garden of The Night playing a young abused child. On an interesting note, Scooter got his name from his Grandma who said that as a young child, he did not crawl, he just scooted - thus the nickname stuck. Fans are excited to see this 12 year old make it big and possibly be the next big buzz in the music and on the big screen. To check out Scooter Smiff's music and more log on to http://www.scootersmiff.com/ or go to www.myspace.com/scootersmiff for more information.

Update: Ceasefire in Gaza

Hamas has announced a one-week ceasefire in Gaza. With both Israeli and Hamas cease-fires, it is likely that the U.N. will have the opportunity to bring in much-needed supplies of food and medicine for the citizens of Gaza.

Ceasefire in Gaza

Israel has declared Hamas defeated and the war in Gaza over, says the BBC. Israel has achieved its goals of ending rocket attacks into Israeli territory and disrupting Hamas military action, and is no longer actively fighting. Their troops, however, will remain in Gaza until Hamas has demonstrated that it is not continuing its attacks. A Hamas spokesperson has pledged that Hamas will not accept an Israeli occupation, and still demands the removal of the blockade of the region. However, the United Nations has called for a war crimes investigation into the death of two Palestinian children, who were killed by Israeli tanks while sheltering in a U.N. school.

Though the conflict has ended officially, it remains to be seen whether the ceasefire will hold, or even truly take hold. Both Israel and Hamas will have to make concessions to end the battle. Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's Middle East Editor, wrote that "when this misery ends both sides will say that they won".

Windows Virus Wreaks Havoc

A virus for the Microsoft Windows operating system, known variously as Conficker, Downadup, or Kido, has now infected more than 3.5 million computers, according to the BBC. It works by inserting itself into the system's execution and downloading malicious software from the attacker's computer. The United States has only aout 4,000 infected computers, but the BBC warns that the virus, first discovered four months ago, can spread in many ways, including both the internet and USB flash drives. Microsoft has released a patch for the virus that whould reduce or eliminate the risk, which can be found here.

RHAM Wrestling Wins Against Rocky Hill

The RHAM wrestling team beat Rocky Hill on Wednesday night at home. The score of the match was 57 to 22.

Osama Bin Laden Calls for Jihad in Gaza

According to the New York Times, Osama bin Laden released an audiotape urging young men to resist the recent Israeli invasion of Gaza. Israel's occupation, aimed to break the back of Hamas, which is the majority political party and a military organization in Gaza, has now lasted nineteen days and caused hundreds of casualties. If real, this is the first tape that Mr. bin Laden has released since May, said the Times.

RHAM/Rocky Hill Co-op Hockey Team Loses to EO Smtih

The RHAM/Rocky Hill co-op hockey team lost to EO Smith high school on January 12th. The score was 8-2.

Trumbull High School Marching Band Headed To D.C For Inaugural Parade

According to courant.com, early last month many parents and marching band members from Trumbull High School learned that they had been chosen to play at Obama's inaugural parade on January 20th. The whole group of parents and members of the marching band will be headed for Washington D.C. on Sunday, January 18th. The marching band has two 3 hour rehearsals a week and on Saturday, they either practice or go to a competition. The parents and the members of the band have worked together to make it up to this point. They have worked together in the past to make enough to go to Florida, which they have played in the Citrus Bowl and to New York, so they could play in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Their 4 day inaugural trip to D.C. will cost the Trumbull marching band and their parents $55,000 and they have only raised $20,000 so far. This is going to be very hard to raise the money for this group's trip, since they went to California to perform in Hollywood's Santa Parade during Thanksgiving break. This is remarkable honor for a high school marching band from Connecticut to play at a president's inaugural parade.

Golden Globes

On Sunday January 11, the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards were held. Twenty five coveted awards were announced:




-Best Motion Picture-Drama: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

-Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy: Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)

-Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama: Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road (2008)

-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell for In Bruges (2008)

-Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

-Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)

-Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)

-Best Director - Motion Picture: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

-Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) Simon Beaufoy

-Best Original Song - Motion Picture: The Wrestler (2008)("The Wrestler" by Bruce Springstein)

-Best Original Score - Motion Picture: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) A.R. Rahman

-Best Animated Film: WALL·E (2008)

-Best Foreign Language Film: Vals Im Bashir (2008)

-Best Television Series - Drama: "Mad Men" (2007)

-Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy: "30 Rock" (2006)

-Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: "John Adams" (2008)

-Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television: Paul Giamatti for "John Adams" (2008)

-Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television: Laura Linney for "John Adams" (2008)

-Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)

-Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey for "30 Rock" (2006)

-Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama: Gabriel Byrne for "In Treatment" (2008)

-Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama: Anna Paquin for "True Blood" (2007)

-Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Tom Wilkinson for "John Adams" (2008)

-Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Laura Dern for Recount (2008)




For more information, check out http://www.imdb.com/

RHAM Basketball Beats Plainville

The RHAM boys basketball team beat Plainville on Thursday night with a score of 80-48. The Sachems are now 3-4.

Mr. RHAM

On Friday evening, the 10th annual Mr. RHAM pageant took place, hosted by seniors Stewart Turcan and Isiah Bell. Contestants participated in a number of events, including one that showcased their skill at sports and one that showed off an individual talent. They were also subjected to a question-and-answer phase in which they answered questions like "What does Sachem pride mean to you?"

Senior Brendan Lamb walked away with the title of Mr. RHAM 09', taking the crown from last year's winner, TJ Tetrault. Brendan's two main acts were a dance to the song "Womanizer" by Briteny Spears and a video that showed his talents in the weight room. The above picture shows Brendan Lamb himself.

This reporter was backstage while the event was taking place. The environment among contestants, escorts, and stagehands was that of nervous excitement. It seemed as if everyone expected something to go terribly wrong and was trying his hardest to prevent that from happening. However, their fear was unfounded. The show went on almost perfectly according to plan and was a huge success, judging by the amount of laughter coming from the audience.

The event was organized by teacher Mrs. Hills and Junior class officers Kevin Trippel and Chris Langlois. Proceeds from ticket sales benefitted the Junior class.

RHAM Teacher Works on Hospice Project

Mrs. Carol Fish, Health and Physical Education teacher at RHAM High School went to Tijuana, Mexico during December vacation to work to build a hospice and a house for a small family. She worked on the projects for six days and with working on the two projects she felt like she was making a difference. She found out about the projects through family and decided to work on them when she heard about a organization called One Small House. One Small House is an organization that helps build houses and hospices for people in need about twice a year. Mrs. Fish had to raise money to pay for her trip. She had to pay for her own airfare and an additional 450 dollars, that went toward her room and board, materials for the projects, etc. She stayed at a very rugged ranch with the other workers on the project and the ranch was 20 miles from Tijuana. According to Mrs. Fish, there were thirty to forty people working on the project per day. The project benefits the hospice, which has critically and terminally ill people and some are even AIDS patients. Some patients were even hit by cars trying to cross the border illegally by night. The other project that benefited was the small house, which was built for a small family. Mrs. Fish was glad she went and that she was able to make a difference.

RHAM's Wizard of Oz

For the last three years, Marc Paluso and Meg Clifton have coordinated the afterschool Drama Club here at RHAM High School. They have put on many great shows in the past including Alice in Wonderland and By the Skin of Our Teeth. This year, they are taking on a new challenge; The Wizard of Oz. What many people today do not realize, is that the classic 1939 film is actually based upon a childeren's novel written in 1900 by author L. Frank Baum and W.W. Denslow. The Drama Club will be bringing the classic story to life on Friday April 3rd, and Saturday April 4th. The Drama Club began rehearsing on Tuesday January 6th, and will be holding rehearsals in the RHAM High School Auditorium every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The cast includes notable names such as Elizabeth Dandeneau as Dorothy, Julie Daher as The Wicked Witch of the West, Chris Langlois as The Scarecrow, and Alex Crockett as The Cowardly Lion.

Image courtesy of: http://www.wikepedia.org/

John Travolta's son's death

On sunday actor John Travolta's son, Jett Travolta, died. Doctors say that the cause of death was from a seizure. Jett's body was creamated on Monday. When Jett died the family was on a vacation to the Bahamas at their vacation home. The whole family was in shock at what happened because it was so sudden.

Rip Torn's DUI

77-year old actor Rip Torn has plead not guilty to drunk driving charges after being arrested on December 14th. A resident of Salisbury, Connecticut, the Dodgeball star appeared in Bantam Superior Court on Monday pleading not guilty to the charges being pressed against him. This is the second time that Torn has had DUI charges brought against him. The Oscar nominated actor was reportedly driving his car in the breakdown lane on Route 44. After being pulled over, Torn failed part of a field sobriety test, and refused a breathalizer test. According to police, Torn was also very vulgar towards officers after his arrest. Torn is due to return to court on January 28, 2009. Torn is most widely known for his work in the Emmy nominated series 30 Rock, Men in Black, and Dodgeball.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/

Freshman Girls Basketball Wins Against Northwest Catholic

On January 6th, the RHAM freshman basketball team won against Northwest Catholic at home. The final score of the game was 32 to 26 with RHAM making 10 fouls and Northwest Catholic making 18 during the course of the game.

RHAM Boys Basketball Team Loses To Northwest Catholic

The RHAM boys basketball team lost their game to Northwest Catholic on Monday night. The boys played away and game ended with a final score of 49 to 77. The Sachems are now 2-4. Their next game is on Thursday, January 8th at Plainville.

Richardson Withdraws Nomination to Cabinet Post

Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico and recent candidate for the Presidency, withdrew his nomination for the post of commerce secretary in President-elect Obama's new cabinet on Sunday. He cited a grand jury probe into some of his business dealings. Richardson said in a joint statement with the President-elect that "I and my administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact", but went on to say that accepting the post would cause delays in his confirmation process that would hinder the new administration. The President-elect accepted the withdrawal "with deep regret". He called Gov. Richardson's decision "a measure of his willingness to put the nation first that he has removed himself as a candidate for the Cabinet in order to avoid any delay in filling this important economic post at this critical time."

Potential repacements for Gov. Richardson have not yet been named.

Breaking (as of 4:55, from the New York Times):
President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Louis Panetta to be the new head of the Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Panetta served nine terms in the House of Representatives for the California 16th and later 17th congressional districts. He served as President Bill Clinton's Chief of Staff and is well known for his managerial skills. He has attracted some criticism, however, for having less experience with intelligence or counterterrorism than other contenders for the post. He is a replacement for the President-elect's initial pick, John Brennan, who pulled out of consideration because of his association with the CIA's controversial interrogation practices. He will replace the current head of the CIA, Michael Hayden.

Sources: New York Times, Associated Press

Renewed Violence in Gaza Strip

On December 27th, Israel launched an offensive into the nearby Gaza Strip in an effort to stop the bombings of Israeli territory that had been going on since December 19th. Hamas, the organization that claims responsibility for the bombings, is a Palestinian group based in Gaza. Their primary objectives include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and reduced Israeli influence on the day-to-day affairs in Gaza.

Despite the 10-day military operation that Israel has mounted against Hamas, rockets are still being fired into parts of southern Israel. According to a Palestinian medical source, over 530 Palestinians have been killed and 2,750 have been injured since the beginning of the campaign. Neither side is considering a cease-fire in the immediate future, despite international pressure to do so. France and the European Union have been particularly active in this regard.

According to the Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, "Before the military operation, the equation was that Hamas targets Israelis whenever it likes, and Israel shows restraint. This is not going to be [any] longer the equation in this region. When Israel is targeted, Israel is going to retaliate."

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar has similar feelings, "They [Israeli forces] shelled everyone in Gaza. ... They shelled children and hospitals and mosques. And in doing so, they gave us legitimacy to strike them in the same way."

Tensions between Palestine and Israel have been high since Israel was made into an independent state in 1948, taking much of what had previously been Palestinian territory. The Gaza Strip region was under Israeli control until 1994, when it became autonomous under the authority of the Palestinian National Authority as part of the Oslo Accords. The area has been highly contested between the two cultures since then with violence such as this occasionally breaking out.

Sources: www.cnn.com, www.msnbc.com