The effect of gun laws on Sandy Hooke Shooting - Giselle Namata

        We all know the tragedy that has struck our nation and has broken all of our hearts. Late last week, in a small town in Connecticut, a shooter had entered Sandy Hooke Elementary School and killed 26 children and adults. I personally had broken into tears when I had heard the details of this story. This horrific scene not only leads to the question, "why would someone do this?" But as well "how could we have prevented this?"
        Gun laws, security, and enforcement are constantly being updated. Although it seems that in this situation, stronger and stricter laws may have stopped this from happening. Connecticut's laws are stable, although in some resident's opinion, they aren't strong enough on the national level. A law was proposed in Connecticut in 2011 that limits the number of gun magazines in high numbers, although protesters effected the final outcome, in which that bill died in committee.  A big contribution to this event may have been the shooter's mental state. The shooter, Adam Lanza, was said to have a various number of mental problems, but there's no telling now as he had committed suicide as police were arriving on the scene. As many adults mourn for the children that passed away, they are also concerned of the safety of their children. If another shooting does occur, the question is if it can be stopped with firmer laws.

The Hobbit- Nick Rodgers

The highly anticipated movie The Hobbit is finally making it's debut on Friday, December 14^th.  This prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy is sure to be a great watch even if you are not familiar with the previous films.  Peter Jackson is once again directing one of J.R.R. Tolkien's action packed fantasies. The three previous films directed by Jackson won a total of 17 Oscars and The Hobbit is projected to be one of the best films of the year.  

The Hobbit is based on Tolkien's 1937 fantasy novel which follows the adventure of a Hobbit known as Bilbo Baggins as he travels with his Dwarf friend's to reclaim their gold from the evil dragon Smaug. On his journey, Bilbo, his 12 rowdy dwarf friends, and their Wizard companion Gandalf must face trolls, goblins, giants, and many more terrifying mythical creatures that inhabit the dangerous world of Middle Earth. Even the fan favorite creature Gollum from Lord of the Rings makes a short yet vital appearance. Other connections to characters from the Lord of the Rings are seen throughout the movie and book. This thrilling tale is sure to keep you entertained during it's first installment.

That’s right; the single book is being made into three parts. This decision might not bode well for the series because the Hobbit is a single relatively short book compared to the 1137 page Lord of the Rings trilogy. Fans are not sure how director Peter Jackson will find enough content from the book to incorporate into three two and a half hour movies without changing the story line to fit his taste. We will just have to wait and see if the movie drags on too much or if there is too much discrepancy between the book and the motion picture.  Whether this will be good for the series or not, Lord of the Rings fans will be sure to see all three installments of The Hobbit.

RGIII and the Redskins

                                             

      People in the Washington area can’t stop talking about RGIII as they wear their Redskins Jersey every week to honor their home team as they are in the hunt to go to the post season. After winning 3 straight games, the Redskins show no slowing down as Sunday’s game was a big and surprising win as they defeat the Baltimore Ravens. RGII played amazing like always as they needed this win to keep their playoffs hope alive. RGIII wasn’t the only player that achieve success that game but also his running back Alfred Morris as he rushed for 122 yards and added a touchdown to it as well.

           Redskins really fought hard to beat Baltimore and their defense which was not easy for the team as RGII took a very hard hit from the Baltimore defense that it caused him to get out of the game as it made Redskins fans worry about their team and their star quarterback. Now it was up to Kirk Cousins, who is RGII’s back-up quarterback, to save the day. He didn’t let any Redskins fans down as he threw a beautiful pass under pressure, to wide receiver Pierre Garcon to make the score 26-28 as the Redskins where down. They needed to go for two to send this game to overtime to have another chance to win the game. Soon as Cousins got that ball in his hands, everybody depended on him to do something with it and he did. Cousins did not find anyone open as he ran the ball in for the 2-point conversion to send this to overtime. Redskins fans went crazy and as well as Kirk Cousins for his clutch play and effort. 

            Redskins where not really finish yet. Going to overtime, they have lost the coin toss as Ravens started with the ball. It was up to the defense for the Redskins to try to get the ball back before the Ravens score. They succeeded by making the Ravens go three and out. All the Redskins needed to do is score a field goal to win the game, and they did as their hard work pay off to beat the Ravens.

A Prank Gone Wrong ~Doaa Falah

The royal British family found themselves in the middle of a terrible tragedy during a time of great happiness on Friday, December 7, 2012.

Early last week, the royal family announced that Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, was expecting her first child with Prince William. The Duchess was admitted to King Edward VII's Hospital on Monday, December 3 for suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, otherwise known as severe morning sickness, which can leave the Duchess extremely dehydrated. Kate Middleton was in the hospital for approximately three days and was released on Thursday, December 6. During her stay at the hospital, a certain phone call was made to the hospital that would change everything. 

On Tuesday, December 4, two DJs from Australian radio station 2DayFM, called the King Edward VII’s Hospital. The DJs impersonated Queen Elizabeth and inquired about the condition of Kate Middleton, gaining private information. After acquiring this information, the DJs played the phone conversation on air.

The demeaning yet simple prank, however, had far greater consequences than what was ever intended. On Friday, December 7, the nurse, Jacintha Saldanha, who transferred the phone call to the ward, was found dead after apparently committing suicide. London’s Metropolitan Police is working closely together with the New South Wales Police in Australia to conduct the investigation regarding the death of Nurse Jacintha Saldhana.

Jacintha Saldhana left behind a mourning husband and daughter who are in shock and grief over the untimely death of Saldhana. Her husband stated that she will be laid to rest in Shirva, India.

The chairman of King Edward VII’s hospital, Lord Glenarthur, was appalled and slammed the Australian radio station’s decision to air the prank call. “King Edward VII’s Hospital cares for sick people, and it was extremely foolish of your presenters even to consider trying to lie their way through to one of our patients, let alone actually make the call,” he stated.

The royal family announced their deep regret over the death of the nurse, and offered their full support to the nurses that were involved and the hospital staff at all times. 

Words Can Hurt

                                         by Maddie Mota

                                                                                              Staff Writer

       
          
               I have been thinking about what to write for a while now, and nothing has come to mind that has not already been written by almost everyone in the world. So, after hours of staring at this blank page, I gave up on trying to think of something. So, I logged onto my Netflix account and watched a movie called Cyberbully. Then it hit me. JUST WRITE ABOUT THIS! This sorrowful epidemic in which everyone has faced at least once in their life. And even though half of the world has written and read stuff like this, I really don't care because this is my blog post and I want to spend my time writing about something that is really important.
               I  feel like people just don't understand how much bullying affects everyone. I mean, people say they do, but do they really? I mean, if you understand how much it hurts someone, then why would you keep doing it? Why would you purposely keep emotionally, mentally, and/or physically hurting someone? These are the questions I'm dying to know the answer to. I find no logic in this what so ever.
               I have read about and lived bullying. It is the absolute worst feeling in the world to be bullied and no one deserves to go through it no matter what they have done, no one should have to face it. And i know what it is like. I too have been bullied in the past and it really did suck and it made me feel so useless and stupid and worthless. No one should ever feel like a waste of space and that is, in fact, how i felt. And i know i wasn't alone because millions of people felt the same way in that exact same moment.
               The truth of the matter is that the movie Cyberbully really opened my eyes again. This poor girl tried to commit suicide because of the nerve that some people had to talk bad about her. And it wasn't like, "Oh! Her shirt was ugly!". It was more like someone made up a lie that they slept with her when they didn't and know she is being tormented for the crime she didn't commit. I was just plain disgusted by this. The nerve of some people.
               This blog post is officially a rant about this topic. I just want everyone to know that it is NEVER okay to make someones life miserable to make your own life better. It never was; It is not; and it never will be okay to do that to a venerable human being who has gone through so much already that you don't know about. It is never okay to judge someone without knowing them, because that person may or may not being going through a lot. Plus, they may be a best friend material for you. So give them a chance.
                So many people each year commit suicide because of the crude bullying they have to go through without any purpose. And the bullies don't seem to care until that person is gone forever and it is too LATE to apologize to them.
                 Don't be the reason someone cuts themselves. Don't be the reason someone cries themselves to sleep at night. Don't be the reason someone ends their life. End the bullying before it is to late. And for those who are reading this who are going through what it is exactly that I'm describing...my prayers are with you. Never loose hope and stay strong. For those who are the ones bullying someone else...it does NOT make you any cooler. Calling someone fat WON'T make you any skinnier and you should STOP now before the innocent victim you're targeting is gone forever.


                                                Thanks you guys so much for reading! :)

Chiefs Tragedy

Saturday December 1, 2012 was a very somber day for the Kansas City Chiefs. Jovan Belcher, one of the Chiefs linebackers, got into a heated argument with his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins. The argument started at 1 A.M. and lasted roughly seven hours. The argument ended in Belcher pulling a gun and shooting his girlfriend fatally three times. A distressed Belcher drove himself a couple miles down the road to Arrowhead Stadium where the Chiefs play home games. He went to the parking lot of the practice facility and committed suicide in front of Chiefs general manager, Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel. This devastating story effected the team because just one day later, the Chiefs were expected to face the Carolina Panthers. The team used this sad instance to perform to their best ability because they wanted to prove something. They wanted to show their fans that no matter what happens to Kansas City, they are still one big family and they showed love to their fallen brother by defeating the Panthers 27-21 on Sunday.


By: James Dickemann
Jagwire Sports Editor

Portal, Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom

By: Samantha Thai

           Just admit it, Mario was probably was one of the greatest ideas ever created.  The more you play, the more you get mad at your stupid Gameboy for not responding to jump.  Even though it’s tough and difficult, it still made people’s days.  Have you ever heard of Portal?  You know, the game where you shoot one hole into a wall and another on the roof then you can teleport between the two?  It’s also possibly one of the most popular games among game lovers.  Now combine them and you get Mari0, a game where you can manipulate the battlefield with your portal gun and mess with goombas all day long. 

Mari0 was released back in the 3^rd of March by Maurice Guégan.  At first, Guégan only wanted to make a clone of Super Mario Bros with the multiplayer concept that New Super Mario Bros Wii had.  Later on, the idea was formed after he saw a video named Mario With a Portal Gun. It is a cross-platform using the original levels Super Mario Bros and concept of Portal.   Even if you’re an old fashioned gamer, you’ll end up loving this game because it gives off an awesome gameplay and fun feeling to it.  You can use your Portal gun to have koopa troopas falling into your traps constantly and even after watching it for 5 minutes, it’s still very entertaining.  What’s more fun than adding a little spice and adventure to an amazing game?  There’s no harm in it, especially if the gameplay is smooth and there’s extra options like choosing what hat Mario gets to wear or if he’s 12 inches bigger.

The game is free to play at stabyourself.net and even has other parodies like Not Tetris and Not Pacman. If you like to have different twists and surprises while playing then Mari0 is a must have for your Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux.

ALMOST MAINE - Sunjay Sharma

ALMOST MAINE!
- By Sunjay Sharma

"On a cold, clear, moonless Friday night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised; hearts are broken. Love is lost, found, and confounded.  But the bruises heal and the hearts mend - almost...."

           Falls Church High School Drama's "Almost Maine" is almost here! You wouldn't want to miss Falls Church's reenactment of John Cariani's 2004 romantic comedy about love and how it finds its way into everybody's heart this winter. In the small city of Almost, Maine, a peculiar phenomenon, most likely the cause of a supernatural Aurora Borealis (or the "Northern Lights," commonly seen in northern places such as Maine), seems to be causing the residents to fall in and out of love one frosty night. This play will surely have you crying next to your partner one moment, and laughing your socks off the next! Watch as nine people in nine short stories explore and find love in odd ways. Almost Maine incorporates a right mix of love and the hysterical things it makes the characters do, entertaining viewers of any age! Many will be able to relate to these heartwarming tales one way or another. So, who will find love? Whose heart will be broken? Find out! Tickets are $5 at lunch and $8 at the box office. According to rumors, Almost Maine is supposed to be the best play of all year, so don't miss it! The plays will premiere on December 6th, 7th, and 8th at 7:00 P.M. For more information regarding this highly anticipated play, including a full cast and crew list, visit FCHSDrama.org, or contact Valerie Karasek at 703-207-4059. 

You can see the trailer here! 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRiOHfBfTTU&feature=youtu.be

Cyber Monday

By: Michael Barnes

    Yes, the rumors are true, it is that time of the year again. Thanksgiving day which took place Thursday, November 22nd marked the beginning of the holiday season. This face stuffing holiday was followed by possibly the most chaotic day of every year here in the United States, that being Black Friday. Many people understand the purpose of Black Friday, it is an opportunity for the early Christmas shopper to purchase a good portion of their gifts at a discounted price. The catch to this holiday is that the items are served to those as means of first come, first serve. To purchase the items their hearts so desire, they must perform some tasks they may not be too proud of. That may include either waking up early, or just not sleeping at all, it can include pushing, shoving, and other forms of physical activity one would not usually partake in. Days such as Black Friday can bring out the best in someone , as well as the worst.
   In the 21st Century, just about everything these days have gone in the direction of the internet. It has now gotten to the point where you are able to purchase the items you would receive on Black Friday, online. This day is known as Cyber Monday, this is due to the fact it takes place online, and is on the Monday following Black Friday. Cyber Monday received its title in 2005 by the website shop.org, referring to it as the biggest online shopping day of the year. This titled holiday has began to move international , now existing in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, and Chile. Cyber Monday is only growing, so make sure to have your Debit and Credit cards ready, and bargaining abilities prepared to go to work.

Will you buy the Wii U?

      The highly anticipate gaming console, Wii U, has finally been released! Ever since it's been unveiled during Nintendo's press conference at the Electron Entertainment Expo 2011 on June 7th, the hype could not stop building up. It has just released yesterday, November 18th, in North America. It's scheduled for a release on November 30th in Europe and Australia, and December 8th for Japan. What's unique about the Wii U is that it isn't a traditional gaming console. Its primary controller is a touchpad that can be used to complement the game that is currently being played, but it isn't necessary, as you can still have the gameplay on the touchpad. Another cool feature about the Wii U is the "pro controller," which attracts some of the more "hardcore" gamers. You can see the similarities between the Xbox controller, and the Wii U controller. This is a smart move on Nintendo's part. The Wii was the most successful selling console due to its family appeal, and unorthodox use. The Wii U incorporated both of these aspects, and included a way for the "hardcore" games to switch over from the PS3 or Xbox 360.

     
     
The Wii U has a bunch of features that are just as cool as the touchpad, as well:

• Motion Controls
• NFC Location
• Camera
• 6.2 Inch Touch Screen
• TV Control Button
• Microphone
• Built-in Software
• Low weight (Approximately 3.5 pounds (1.6 KG)
• First Nintendo console to support HD graphics (1080p)
• Open Source
• Energy Efficient
• Wii comparability

     Right now, the Wii U has generally favorable reviews, there are still some reviews with criticism, though. If you'd like to buy this gaming console, you'll have to look into it a little more, and see if this console is something you'd be interested in, and will suit your needs.

Reviews some individuals might be interested in:

1. http://venturebeat.com/2012/11/19/nintendo-wii-u-reviews/
2. http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/11/19/hope-and-caution-in-wii-u-reviews/
3. http://z6mag.com/technology/gaming/nintendo-wii-u-release-date-with-high-expectations-in-reviews-to-come-1615789.html

Sources:

1. http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U

By: Sreevatsa Gottada
Period: 1

Date: 11/19/12

The Twilight Saga Finale

The Twilight Saga Finale

By: Juliana Clifford Staff Writer

     Today is the day, the finale is out. Breaking Dawn Part 2 is the last movie in the twilight saga. In case you forgot, in Breaking Dawn Part 1, Bella had given birth to her and Edward’s child, Renesmee, and was then bitten by Edward. She had just woken up from the process of becoming a vampire. The last scene in Breaking Dawn Part 1 was Bella opening her eyes and the color was no longer her normal chocolate brown but a blood red. Breaking Dawn is all about Bella adapting to vampire traditions, especially the Cullen’s Vegetarian ways, and her pretending to be human. 

     The Volturi finds out about Renesmee and believes that the Cullen’s made her a vampire, since it’s strictly forbidden to make a child into a vampire, the Volturi come after them. Since Renesmee is not a vampire, or if she is they are unaware, they try to gain allies with other vampire like them. If you don’t remember, Jacob imprinted on Renesmee and Jacob would risk his life and his pack to protect her. In the final fight scene with all the werewolves, vampire and friends of the Cullens that are there to fight the Volturi and kill the Cullens and Renesmee. 

     Most twilight junkies will see this movie with in the weekend but the crazy twilight fanatics will have seen it at midnight on Thursday at midnight. Most people that go at midnight will dress up as vampires or werewolves. Some get so crazy that they get red contacts and use face makeup to be as pale as possible. Some even put glitter on their bodies to be vampires sparkling in the light. Others wear fake tribal tattoos and get fake tans to be werewolves in Twilight. Of course there are always team Edward and team Jacob fans, even though Bella has chosen, over and over again.  

What is Renesmee?

Will the Cullens survive?  

What happens after it's all over?

Thoughts on Disney buying "Star Wars"

At the end of October Disney bought Lucasfilms from founder George Lucas for $4.05 billion. Disney plans to make three more Star Wars films every two – three years over the next decade. Along with Star Wars franchise, Disney also acquired Indiana Jones franchise, special effects house and LucasArts, a video game company. Lucas will be a creative consultant for the Star Wars movies. The producers have yet to announce who the director will be.

Disney is considering turning Star Wars into a TV show, which would most likely air on Disney XD. Disney is interested in potential adding more Star Wars related rides and theme parks.

This is not the first company Disney has bought. They have bought ABC (costing $19.7 billion), ESPN, Marvel ($3.96 billion), FOX Family ($5.2 billion) and Pixar ($7.6 billion). The late Steve Jobs bought Pixar from Lucas and then later sold it to Disney.

Disney and Lucas were immediately bashed for their deal by angry Star Wars fans. I have seen all the Star Wars movies, however I am not a big fan. I am actually a big fan of Disney though. I do not support Disney buying Lucasfilms because it is only going to create problems and controversies. My biggest question, which is probably the biggest question, is who is going to be a part of the cast? James Earl Jones, who is the voice of Darth Vader, is 82 years old! They cannot guarantee that he will be alive for the next three films. The other actors are all far too old to be in this kind of movie. Harrison Ford (Han Solo) is 70 and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) is 56. Yoda and R2-D2 are too old, too. 

         Technically, Princess Leia is now a Disney princess along with Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, etc. She will never be a Disney princess to anyone. Sure, I suppose she has all the "typical" Disney princess characteristics, but she just is not the same. She is strong, independent, can fight for herself, but she is not exactly dressed like a Disney princess. This leads me to wonder what Disney is going to do to her and other characters to make them more Disney-like or Disney-friendly.

I actually have not heard a single person say they think this is a good idea. Of course, I doubt Disney would ever let something like the public's opinion affect their decisions, but I cannot imagine this will end well. Many people are worried that Disney will have writers come in and make up a completely new story-line without using any of the Star Wars books or anything. Disney just added a new writer to their creative team for the next Star Wars movie. He has written Little Miss Sunshine, Catching Fire (from the Hunger Games trilogy and Toy Story 3. The poor guy is receiving so much bad-mouthing for being a part of the Toy Story 3 writing team. Everyone needs to give him a chance; people can write for both children and adults. Even if the Star Wars movies have too much Disney influence on them, they will at least be funny or have little snide comments or jokes hidden in them like all Disney movies do.


~ Kelly Haynes (staff writer)