Man Shot During Robbery In New Britain

According to courant.com, a man was shot and wounded during a robbery early Sunday morning. The 29-year-old man was shot outside a Corbin Avenue diner and the shooting happened at about 2:10 am. The robber stole jewelry from the victim, who ran after the thief. The thief then turned around and shot the man in the leg, according to police Lieutenant James Wardwell. The victim has been treated and released from the Hospital of Central Connecticut. Police have obtained the handgun after the robber dropped it or tossed it aside. The thief was described as a black man who is in his twenties and is from five feet, nine inches to six feet tall. The suspect has a thin figure and has tightly braided hair. At the time of the shooting, he was wearing a white sports coat, blue jeans, and a New York Yankees baseball hat. Anyone with any information is asked to call city detectives at 860-826-3065.

Lemon Jelly Rides the Slow Train to Fame

Hailing from London, England, Lemon Jelly, an electro-downtempo duo consisting of members Nick Franglen and Fred Deakin, have created some of the most imaginitively profound stylings known to the electronica genre today. The twosome formed back in 1998 where they immediately began working on their first album entitled The Bath. From here, the dominating factor in many of their songs proved to be the illusionary, "mind trip" element that engaged audiences quickly. Lemon Jelly produced two other albums including The Yellow and The Midnight which were then collectively amalgamated onto the wide spread album Lemonjelly.ky. However, the duo's intention of this cd release was primarily to gain attention from the public by means of self promotion. This strangely enticing assortment of albums includes songs such as "His Majesty King Raam", "Nervous Tension" and the ambient groove "Come".

Franglen and Deakin continued their odd musical styling through producing a second studio album titled Lost Horizons in 2002. This album includes the vividly indulging "trip-infested" track, "Nice Weather for Ducks" in which many view as a frighteningly appealing result of excessive hallucinogenic drug use. This album won the Mercury Music Prize and upon receiving the British "Best Dance Act" had debunked the predetermined standards for electro-groove music. The iconic duo is recognized for thier futuristic visionary presence on stage, negating the generic, flashy pop-electro feel that are sweeping stages today. Their latest album, '64-'95 is regarded as one of their finest collections and includes a complimentary DVD package sporting the same title. The DVD contains colorful imagary to accompany songs and is deemed "progressive with ever changing variations of colour".

During their live performances, Lemon Jelly's eminency lies within the intrinsic engagement of the audience. Throughout the show, Franglen and Deakin will constantly gain audience involvement in a number of illustrious ways. The duo's most famous audience engagement performances include a massive game of Bingo, the distribution of candy as a charitable gesture and the projection viewing of British cartoons while the audience enjoyed their tasteful gig.

Lemon Jelly, although scarcely known throughout much of the United States has appeared in a number of Television programs and advertisements including CSI Miami and the "Hello Moto" commercial. This duo is also featured in the movies Space and 31 Days of Oscar. Surprisingly, Lemon Jelly's first three EP's were manufactured through vinyl and their cover layouts exhibit graphic designs with a vivid splash of the natural elements. The packaging for albums is actually a side studio founded by member Fred Deakin entiteld Airside.

Currently, the two members have split and claim that they are on a hiatus. They are interested in composing and carrying on with solo projects and will hopefully collaborate once again to create a sound that is "Oh so groovy."

www.myspace.com/jellyspace2

Skepticism with New Development in Light Manipulation

A recent study by scientists is proven to have been one of the most groundbreaking phenomenons since stem cell research. Researchers that are currently studying the properties of electromagnetic charge and light reaction were astounded with the discovery they had made. According to this newfound discovery, light can actually manipulate matter due to a repellance in the negative ions. Scientists were well aware that prisms and glass shapes have the ability to change the direction of light and even alter its colour properties, but they neglected to even consider the reverse effect. The study was conducted through a series of nonparticle (small clumps of matter) strings that were attached to nano ribbons. Researchers, using a darkened lab, observed the "curling" movement exhibited by the ribbons when light was shone upon them. Although intrigued, many scientists possessed a dubious attitude towards this strange phenomenon.

The study began with the nonparticles bearing a slightly negative electromagnetic charge. What took place when the photons (positive ions) from the light were shone onto these particles, was a nonvisible stimulation in the electrons. This caused a chemical reaction which led to repellance due to the negative ion interlock. "I didn't believe it at the beginning" Kotov, a scientists currently studying the properties of light and electromagnetic correlation, ""To be honest, it took us three and a half years to really figure out how photons of light can lead to such a remarkable change in rigid structures a thousand times bigger than molecules." The rationale for such a phenomenon is through a tension between the nonparticles repulsion to one another. Subsequently, this is what causes the reaction within the ribbon and as a result the scientist can see the twisting like motion of the ribbons. In conclusion, this discovery, although suspiciously intriguing, could in fact pave the way for new spiral like technology further assisting the optic field.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36021551/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Concert Review: Murder By Death and Margot & the Nuclear So and So's

Upon hearing news of my one of my favorite bands, Murder By Death's, plan to stop in CT before the end of their U.S tour, I was quick to plan a trip up to Quinnepiac University to check them out. Murder By Death is a soulful quartet that can be described as an eclectic mix of folk, rock and roll, and a dose of country twang. Based out of Indiana Murder By Death's reputation for story telling and pure musical skill has helped them make a name for themselves in their home country and beyond. Their notoriety made this very low profile show a must see for a fan like myself.

The Quinnepiac Alumni hall is a medium sized hall located around one hundred feet from the schools entrance. The acoustics of the venue were reasonable but the clarity of the vocals fell short based on your proximity to the stage. The other big name band playing that nigh, Margot & The Nuclear So and So's played an incredible 45 minute set before MBD took the stage. Margot's sleepy, southern folk vibe was a pleasant surprise to this listener to expected a group closer to MBD's rock angle.

Murder By Death began their set with the single from the groups newest album "Red Of Tooth And Claw" entitled "Comin Home." The medium sized crowd exploded with voices singing along the moment the first chord of the song was played, a theme which would continue for the rest of the night. Their set ran a grand total of 15 songs and three encores which by the end of the night left the performers and the crowd equally exhausted but satisfied.

I got a chance to talk to all of the members of the group who turned out to be extremely sociable and excited about their upcoming tour of Europe. The band had played two shows in Texas the night before and had not slept since, which only added to the chaos of their luggage being lost upon arrival in Connecticut and their drummers hand being injured in a freight elevator. Each of the members of the band showed a respect for their fans and their music that I had previously not experienced, making the show a quality experience in all aspects of performance.

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Believes Sleep is Wrong

Among the innumerable amount of genres that have surfaced in today's decade, there are very few which capture the pure novelty an appreciation for originality in musiccomposition. Avant garde/Experimental progressive band, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum goes above and beyond in offering intricately structured pieces which see little to no prediction. The group, consisting of eight members, formed back in 1999 in Oakland, California. Welcoming the industrial age that in Sleepytime is able to incorporate a lot of obscure elements and produce a sound that is simply unlike any other band out there. They have a distinguished style that captured listeners and leaves them with feelings of repentance or blissful confusion. Sleepytime was mainly formed through two members of a former band titled Idiot Flesh. These two musicians, Nils Frykdahl and Dan Rathbun decided to collaborate with former Charming Hostess member, Carla Kihlstedt. It was here that the band began to finally mold.

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is acclaimed for their elaborative and complicated performances on stage. Often times the musicians will depict illustrious, off kilter routines that are intended to represent a mathematically ingenious story. Their name comes from a futuristic dadist group of artists called "Sleepytime Gorilla Press" who allegedly claimed that they held the keys to a future museum. Interestingly enough, this particular band actually uses home made instruments to accompany them while on stage. Among these includes a Sledgehammer Dulcimer, created by bassist Dan Rathbun. This seemingly morbid name is actually just a nickname for a slide piano using piano strings and stretching to a length of approxiamately seven feet long. Rathbun uses two wooden sticks, one in order to apply pressure to frets and the other to strum or hit the strings. Other home made, idiosyncratic instruments include kitchen utensils, trash can lids, and various other metal objects.

The performance put forth by Sleepytime is undeniably a surrealistic experience. The audience often times questions the routines of the members when they begin to break down into choppy, off rhythmic pattern formations complete with the visual aid of puppets and scientific elements. There is never a dull moment put on by Sleepytime. Normalcy and regularity seem to be abnormal to their minds. Nils can be heard scowling in offbeat measures while the instruments provide an uncomfortably soothing emotion. Even Carla, a tremendous violinist and vocalist, can sometimes begin lashing out at the song, almost triumphantly summoning the dead in a celebratory fashion as heard in (Angle of Repose).

Often times, Sleepytime enjoys disengaging from the audience, giving them a sense they are not human, but something of another species. Their first Album Grand Opening and Closing included songs like "Sleep is Wrong" and "Ablutions" which brought forth a completely different feel for vehemence and illusory. Their second album, Of Natural History included newest member of the group, drummer Michael Mellender. Of Natural History proved to be a milestone in music as Sleepytime released mercilessly frightening tracks like "A Hymn to the Morning Star" and "Babydoctor." Their latest album, released in 2007 is entitled In Glorious Times which features probably the most well known song if any of Sleepytime's "Helpless Corpses Enactment." The intriguiging thing about this particular track is that its lyrics actually derive from famous contemporary Irish novelist James Joyce in one of his most well recognized prose of Finnegan's Wake.

In essence, Sleepytime is difficult to categorize. They create a distinctively challenging and demanding sound while allowing the audience to surrender themselves to the possiblity that they may not in fact be human. This avant garde band is not well recognized, but to underground venues they reign King. Please, by all means, if you are looking for something new, be sure to check them out.

http://www.myspace.com/sleepytimegorillamuseum

RHAM Winter Ball Loses Luster

In past years, there have always been two major dances each year (not including proms). The Homecoming dance and the Winter Ball have always seemed to capture the attention of the student body, whether it be a freshman or a senior. The attendance of last year's Homecoming neared school records as 630+ students attended the gala.

However, this years Winter Ball, put on each year by the student council, fell way short of that mark. The dance, held this past Saturday night in the cafeteria, attracted only about 200 students. When compared to past Winter Ball attendances of 500+, there seems to be something wrong here.

Maybe some students felt that $15 for a ticket seemed a little too outrageous. In my personal memory I can't remember a dance ever being over $10. Perhaps other students didn't like the fact of getting all dressed up. . .just to dance in our school's cafeteria.

Whatever the cause, this lackluster attendance to 2010's Winter Ball may be a harbinger that school dances have "lost their cool".

Music Review: Daughters: Daughters

Daughters are a noise rock/ mathcore band operating out of Providence Rhode Island who have become notorious for their extremely chaotic and often dissonant style. Their newest, self titled, album strays from the path and is a more rhythmic addition to their discography.

The extremely strange time signatures and guitar parts common in their music are still a very large part of Daughters. The album begins with "The Virgin" a song carried by a driving but repetitive guitar part and accentuated with vocalist Alex Marshall's haunting spoken word dialog.

An important change in pace found in this album is the length of the songs. The band began as a Grindcore group - a genre which is known for its extreme intensity and brevity, Daughters however tests the group's ability to play a song for an extended period of time.

Whether or not the group achieves this goal is another story. At many points the songs seem too drawn out and stretched too thin. A song stretched over the course of three minutes may have been better kept at two.

The highlight of album for me was the last two songs on the album which take a very bluesy turn which matches the southern, swooning tone of Marshall's voice without losing their signature edge. Overall the album is haunting, and oftentimes extremely creepy, but tends to get tiring as you listen. 3/5

Maximo Park Likes Girls Who Play Guitar

Maximo Park, a five piece set hailing from Newcastle, England are one of the more obscure alternative rock bands to finally emerge into the pop culture music scene. It seems as though this group has not gained much recognition through ten years of music making. Their members include Paul Smith, Duncan Lloyd, Lukas Wooller, Tom English and Archis Tiku. The band is currently on Warp Records label where they have produced three solid albums including A Certain Trigger, Our Earthly Pleasures and Quicken the Heart.

During their earlier years, the band could be found performing in smaller venues in Manchester while slowly gaining a fan base in England. Soon enough, and with much enthusiasm the band was off in producing their first album, A Certain Trigger. This album sold over 300,000 copies world wide with hits including: "Graffiti", "The Night I lost my Head" and "Acrobat." Their first album indeed proved to be a large success becoming popular in the States as well as foreign countries. To follow up with A Certain Trigger the band dived into working on the subsequent album, Our Earthly Pleasures. This album was released in April of 2007 and contained a more playfully eclectic feel with popular tracks like "Our Velocity" and "Girls Who Play Guitars". Personally, from listening to this album I can confidently say that I enjoy this the most. I have listened to a little bit of Trigger and a small amount of Quicken the Heart, however I find that Our Earthly Pleasures seems to have a more groovy feel.

Quicken the Heart was released in 2008 under the supervision of recording engineer and producer, Nick Launay. "The Kids are Sick Again" proves to be the popular song off the album followed by songs such as "Questing, Not Coasting" and "Calm". I would recommend either of these three albums to anyone interested in a more eclectic, underground alternative vibe. These British musicians know how to please the ears with catchy, simplistic lyrics accompanied by an intricate variety of guitar tones. Maximo Park is definitely a band that needs more recognition and could make it big. Oh, and they like girls who play guitar. That's a plus.

RHAM helps student in need

RHAM High School senior, Mariah Lipscomb, was recently diagnosed with cancer. Mariah has been out of school for multiple weeks getting treatment. This is a difficult time both financially and emotionally for both Mariah and her family.

Some students at RHAM have been selling rubber bracelets that read, "Hold on be strong ML" for three dollars($3). The money is used to support Mariah and her family's medical costs.

For more information on buying bracelets and helping out, contact Mrs. Stahl at:
stahljen@reg8.k12.ct.us

Music review: Jaicko-Can I

Jaicko is an 18 year old Barbadian native with a talent for music. His debut album, which is scheduled to come out this summer, is entitled "Can I." The artist claims that his music will revolutionize music. Well he is on the right track. His style is mainstream hip hop but he tries to add an island quality to it. As of right now it would appear that he is going to blend into today's style. He sings a lot about girls and makes very nice ballads but most of it has been heard before and it's starting to get overdone. There are twelve tracks on this album and they are titled:

1. Oh Yeah


2. Fast Forward (FFWD)


3. Two piece


4. Dreaming About Me


5. Air


6. Can I


7. Caribbean Girl


8. Not Tryna Fall In Love


9. Name and Number


10. Perfect


11. About You


12. Will You Be There

Of this list the one song that stood out to me was Caribbean Girl. This song sounded very different to the songs you hear on the radio. If he wants to make an impact on today's mainstream music I think he should stick to the style in this song. This album may not top the charts but he is definitely an artist you should keep your eye on. I give this Album a 3 out of 5.

RHAM Students Visit Quebec

This past Thursday, a group of RHAM students braved for the cold in order to visit the city of Quebec, Canada. The trip was led by French instructors Madame Bender and Madame Deroy. Upon the arrival of the trip, the students had much anticipation as to what was in store for them. The group was welcomed by the staff at the Chateau Frontenac, which is actually the second hotel ever built in Quebec. This has historic significance including the planning of Operation Overlord which was the D-Day invasion of Western Europe during World War II. The students then ventured to the museum of civilization which held exhibits such as The Tomb of Eternity, The Mysterious Bog People and the exhibition displaying the treasures of China. Continuing their historical adventure, the group then made their way to St. Anne's Basillica, the shrine intended to honor Saint Anne who was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ. The historical visits opened the students eyes to the culture that Quebec has and educated them on the different values that another nation possesses. Mike Wood, a senior who attended the trip said, "It was a great experience. I got exposed to a new culture that I hadn't had much experience with. The history of Quebec is really interesting and I feel like I learned a lot."

However, the visits to the historical sites was not the only thing in Quebec that the students appreciated. While in Canada, they had the chance to go dogsledding, snowshoeing, and tubing down a large mountain. High school Senior Gaby Levesque was pleased with the experience and definitely intends to travel to Quebec some time in the future. "It was amazing! The people there were so nice and I learned so many new things. I really had a lot of fun tubing down the mountain, it was such a rush!" Madame Bender and Madame Deroy enjoyed the students' reactions to the country and were thoroughly pleased with the trip as a whole. The historical aspect, as well as the thrill of the tundra were enough to fulfill any expectations the students may have set for the trip. Guess you could say it was a success, ey?

Death at Seaworld

This past Wednesday, February the 24th, a killer whale attacked and subsequently killed its trainer at the Orlando Seaworld. Dawn Brancheau, 40, was apparently grabbed by the ponytail and dragged into the pool where the whale continued to violently thrash the beloved trainer - a staff member known to be one of the most experienced at the park.

Following the attack, the show stopped immediately while shocked and horrified audience members were swiftly and quickly removed from the stadium. Soon after, the entire park was closed to all customers.

Further investigation has deduced that the whale apparently became startled when Ms. Brancheau made a fast and un-choreographed move in front of the whales line of vision. Without hesitation, the reportedly "highly trained whale" leaped at the trainer. Ongoing investigations hope to find more information to not only explain the tragic and horrific death, but also to ensure a similar attack never occurs again within these popular marine theme parks.

CAPT Comes to RHAM

Well, it's March again. This month marks a time of diligence and annoyance for underclassmen. But for upperclassmen, March proves to be the ultimate short term remedy for spring time laziness, a.k.a. senior-itis.

This month, for three days a week each week, students' traditional school days will be ending at 12:40. At which time, underclassmen will file into their assigned classrooms for the next hour and a half of CAPT testing.

However, while ninth and tenth graders slave away over seemingly endless pages of "paper bubble wrap", eleventh and twelfth graders get to, well, pretty much do whatever they want. If an upperclassman is lucky enough to have a car (or lucky enough to have friends that have cars) then they are free to leave school early on these assigned days, thus allowing more time for their "studies".

Surely, CAPT testing is one of the few perks upperclassmen actually get to experience here at RHAM High. Personally, I am looking forward to a whole lot of Wendy's for lunch. Sorry underclassmen.

[CAPT testing is the Connecticut state standardized testing of sophomores. -Ed.]

Miss RHAM

Mr. RHAM is a tradition that extends back before any current student can remember. But now, the senior class will attempt to make a new tradition with the first annual "Miss" RHAM pageant.

The seed was first planted last school year when the then-junior-class sponsored a "Prom Fashion Show." Even though monetary proceeds were mediocre at best, it was undeniable that all participants and audience members thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The show consisted of two halves of a fashion show featuring prom dresses and tuxedos, split by an auction for various prom apparel and accessories.

These sort of events can be expected in this years "Miss RHAM" along with the usual tomfoolery associated with Mr. RHAM. The event has been suspect to much criticism however, as students question whether the level of hilarity captured by a female version of Mr. RHAM can ever meet the level established year after year by its traditional counterpart. Only time will tell whether this fundraiser will be fun - or a flop.

Music Ensembles Visit Disney World

Over February Break, the RHAM music ensembles took a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. The trip, lasting a total of 5 days, was a great success. Upon arrival, both choral and instrumental groups headed straight to EPCOT to enjoy the park for the afternoon until they split up for workshops that night. The workshops, sponsored by the "Walt Disney Magic Music Day" program, lasted two hours and were a great success.

The following morning pertained strictly to performance. Both ensembles dealt with extremely windy conditions at the band shell. A few stands were blown over and some music scattered subsequently, but all in all, the ensembles looked past the adverse conditions and both had stellar performances.

After the performance, students were shipped to Animal Kingdom for the rest of the day and spent the following two days touring Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

Origami: The solution to sufficient energy production?

It has long been debated which method to conserve and produce energy works most efficiently. Researchers and the public have held much speculation as to whether or not electrical and gas power are beneficial in producing commensurable amounts of energy and power. However, a new innovation, or depending on how one may look at it, a "traditionally redesigned" custom has been largely considered in order to aid in panel productivity. Origami solar panels have been introduced as the new version of a solar panel and could greatly decrease the environmental issue of generated power.

These origami panels are three dimensional and multidimensional, and are arguably more conducive in terms of limiting the amount of financial labour that typically goes into constructing the more oblate solar panels. With the redesigned Origami version, researchers are led to believe that the dimensions will in fact absorb a much greater amount of lighting, in return generating a sufficient amount of energy for a home. However, the contrary to this thinking, is that complanate solar panels are 1. easier to install on the rooftops of houses, and 2. allow for more absorption to due the absence of dimensions. Many think that the dimensions of the Origami model will prohibit the amount of light absorption through shadows created by all of the various proportions. But despite these observations and concerns, researchers have a firm belief that the multi dimensional solar panels would be more gainful than useless.

A flat solar panel would generally produce approxiamately 50 kilowatts daily, but when compared to the revolutionary Origami style paneling, it barely stands. Researchers clustered triangular formations together in order to capture light from all different angles. Some may be simplified versions of the intended structure whereas other designs may pose as more complex in their creation. The smaller, simpler devices respectably generated a total of 60 kilowatts daily, and designs that were over 33 feet high were reported in generating 120 kilowatts a day. Jeffrey Grossman, a theoretical physicist at MIT says, ""I originally thought that such structures would only be useful in situations where area is at a premium — for example, roof-tops," In addition, these solar panels are far more appealing to the public and could have the potential to absorb light from areas where flat panels are unable to reach such as the ground and trees. Although this idea may seem far fetched, and the researchers are still in skepticism over the flaws and/or actual efficiency of the modules, it is an innovative idea for a traditional custom that has the ability to eliminate the public concern of energy production. "...We have been exploring more and more directions for ideas that may make 3-D structures more appealing than flat panels even when area is not limited." Grossman says.

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35593146/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/