The Student News Magazine of Penn Manor HS
By Bryan Buckius –
The Penn Manor Orchestra recently performed in the high school auditorium. The jazz band, orchestra and full band all played songs, ranging from the Lord of the Rings theme song to a Lady Gaga medley. The concert took place on May 19. The concert gave the band and orchestra students an opportunity to show off all of the hard work and time they put into playing an instrument.
By David Mohimani-
The champs are here.
No not the song by Jadakiss, the Penn Manor girls 4 x 800 team.
The girls have already captured gold in both the league championship meet as well as in the district III championship meet at Shippensburg University this past Saturday. Also they were able to set a school record for the 4 x 800 at the Hempfield Invitational.
Senior Kate Maisel, junior Emily Novak, and freshmen Meghan Maisano and Greta Lindsley make up the championship squad.
Coming into the season the Comets knew they returned a solid squad that would be able to compete, but to take home a district title with a two unknown and inexperienced freshmen did not seem likely.
Lindsley was a stand out during the cross country so to say she was an unknown may not be totally accurate, but you never know how skills in one sport will translate to another, but Maisano came from left field to have an impressive freshmen campaign with a promising future.
Now the girls are preparing to make a run, no pun intended, at the state title.
The girls will run Friday at Shippensburg University, they are seeded eight out of the the top twelve teams advance to the finals which take place on Saturday, and the top seven teams place.
“Yeah (I’m nervous ),” said Lindsley
However competing in cross country may have helped Lindsley ,who finished first in league playoffs for cross country,diminish some of her nerves.
“It sure helped,” said Lindsley.
While they’ve had a magical season their chances of winning seem a little bleak.
“If we want to win we have to drop 15 seconds,” said Lindsley.
While a state title may be out of reach, a new record could be possibility.
“If we have people in front of us pushing we could do it.
Being a freshmen has not put any added pressure on Lindsley, “I think it’s more pressure on the senior.”
Maisano is also nervous for the race, ” Yes( I’m nervous) because he ( their coach) told us that we have to run a second faster.”
Unlike Lindlsey, Maisano does feel a little added pressure being just a freshman, “I guess so because I want do better.”
Maisano claims that she is not competing against Lindsley and that they are a team, no one is trying to out- do each other.
Senior captain Maisel does not seem scared of the bright lights of the state championship meet, “I’m confident that we will make it to the finals but nervous because we have to run all out, and it’s going to hurt,” said Maisel
Win or lose, this will be Maisel’s last track meet ever.
“I feel like I need to leave it all on the track because it’s my last meet ever,” said Maisel.
Maisel a four-year varsity letter earner is at the end of a remarkable career.
“I feel proud because I worked hard and it paid off, especially the last few years. I’m really thankful, I’ve had great teammates.
By Lyta Ringo photos by Jen Felegi-
Due to their recent 2-0 loss to Lower Dauphin, the Penn Manor Girl’s Soccer team was on the verge of not making it to states.
Julia Rios commented that after the game the coaches were “definitely disappointed.”
Rios also commented that the coaches exact comment was, “We’re not gonna talk at all about it today, we’ll talk on Monday.”
The girls had a game at Cedar Crest High School at 7 p.m. Tuesday night against Hershey. The game was for district consolation status.
“We have to win one game and we qualify for states,” said senior Veronica Willig.
As they always do, the girls pulled it off again. The team’s goalie, Willig, was out for the game with an ankle injury. In place of her was sophomore Stacey Groff.
The team won the District 3-AAA consolation round 1, game 1, with a score of 1-0. This brings the girls overall score to 20-3-2.
By Cassey Graeff –
Rah Rah!
Pompoms, pleated skirts and stuck up girls kicking their legs and yelling for the home team. It’s not like that anymore.
In a new development over the debate whether or not cheerleading is a real sport, two groups are asking the National Collegiate Athletic Association to recognize cheerleading as an “emerging sport” for ladies, a precursor to full status as a championship sport.
Penn Manor senior Jessen Smith has a different opinion, “Personally I don’t think cheerleading is a sport, but I recognize what the ladies are doing out there and I think it’s important.”
USA Cheer and National Collegiate Athletics and Tumbling Association are the two groups working toward making cheerleading a championship sport.
If this is a success, cheerleading would begin to be fully financed, could recruit scholarship athletes and send them to a national championship. The request is for the athletic form of cheerleading, which is also known as competitive cheerleading. Competitive cheerleading has rigorous competitions and high standards.
The two associations are not trying to make sideline cheerleading a sport.
“Cheerleading should be a sport, but at the same time different safety rules may be applied. Who knows, you may see cheerleaders wearing pads. These safety rules could take away from different techniques and cheerleading would not be as interesting,” said senior Eric Bear.
According to the New York Times, “Historically, cheerleading has been about supporting athletes, not about being an athlete,” said Barbra Osborne, a scholarship basketball player who graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 1982 and who now advises universities on gender-equality issues.
Penn Manor’s cheerleading coach Cindy Bachman said, ” I feel that competitive cheerleading should definitely be a sport, because to be a competitive cheerleader you have to be very athletic.”
A rule for Penn Manor cheerleading is that you must cheer for a school sport in order to be a member of the competitive team.
“If competitive cheerleading became its own sport you possibly could not have to cheer any school sport, which would then affect the school cheerleading team,” said Coach Bachman.
Many women sport supporters agree with the idea. According to the New York Times, “As long as it’s actually operating as a sport, we welcome it into the women’s sport tent,” said Nancy Hogshead-Makar, the senior director of advocacy at the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Senior cheerleader Sam Eshleman said, “Cheerleaders get hurt more than other teams, so it should be classified as a sport. It’s extremely aggressive.”
Jill Zimmerman agrees with the idea of cheerleading becoming a sport.
“I think cheerleading has changed so much overtime and the girls that spent their whole life cheering deserve it,” she said.
One group that supports cheerleading becoming a sport is USA Cheer. They are backed by Varsity Brands, a for-profit company that sells pompoms and uniforms and has been running cheerleading competitions at high schools and colleges for decades. The second group is the National Collegiate Athletics and Tumbling Association. This group “comprises six universities that have been competing against one another for the last couple years and have the support of USA Gymnastics.”
“Cheerleading should never be considered a sport in any way. It’s kind of like Nascar, something fun you want to do,” said Casey Wells.
“In 1898 a medical student at the University of Minnesota picked up a megaphone and led his football team to victory in a chant widely credited with giving birth to modern-day cheerleading: Rah, rah, rah! Ski-U-Mah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Minn-e-so-tah!” according to the New York Times article.
“I think cheerleading becoming a sport would be cool, it creates more opportunities for women,” said senior Brian Ramsey.
By Lyta Ringo –
One man claims he has overcome the impossible.
He was HIV-positive and now he’s not.
When you are HIV-positive, the risk of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is much higher. However, it is possible to have HIV and not contract AIDS.
According to an article posted on the aidsmap, a man named Timothy Ray Brown from Berlin, was suffering from not only leukemia, but also HIV. Brown underwent a stem cell transplant in December for his Leukemia. Since his transplant, Brown has reportedly been cured of HIV. Both Brown and his doctor have stated that he was HIV-positive before the transplant, and he is now currently HIV-negative.
According to a report in Blood, a medical magazine, a conclusion was drawn after extensive testing saying it “strongly suggests that the cure of HIV has been achieved.”
The cure of HIV has also been added to the top ten list of medical breakthroughs of 2010. Some other medical breakthroughs include an artificial ovary, for those battling infertility and wanting to conceive.
The stem cell transplant also has a lot of other doctors coming up with more ways to “personalize” the treatment. According to Foxnews.com, “scientists have used genetic engineering in six patients to develop HIV-resistant blood cells.”
When a transplant is done, you are receiving someone else’s cells that are just compatible with your blood type. What these researchers are trying to do is use the patient’s own blood cells to create an HIV-resistant blood cell. This would insure that the body wouldn’t end up rejecting the cell because it is it’s own.
Dr. John Zaia described the cure as a “functional cure,” in the Foxnews article, meaning it may not be the complete cure to HIV but it could build patient’s immune systems up to the point where their own bodies can fight off the infection.
Another man, the famous NBA Laker’s player, Magic Johnson, came forward in 1991 announcing that he would be retiring, officially leaving in 1992 after the All-Star Game, due to the fact the he had contracted the HIV virus. Since then reports have stated that Johnson has been cured of the virus.
However, in an article written by Dara Akiko Tom, a writer for the Associated Press, Johnson has not been cured of the virus. He has been taking protease inhibitors, which “reduce illness and lengthen lifetime.” This medicine is believed to be the cause of his cell counts becoming so low that the disease is in the undetectable state.
According to the Associated Press, Johnson himself said, “If it wasn’t for the Lord’s blessing, I wouldn’t be as healthy as I am now.”
Dr. Jeffery Laurence said in the Associated Press article, “Nearly 90 percent of the people who take the powerful drugs within a few months of being diagnosed HIV-positive have undetectable levels similar to Johnson’s condition.”
HIV infection is a worldwide epidemic. In a 2009 report conducted by the Worth Health Organization’s UNAIDS, there were roughly 33.4 million people in the world living with HIV. In 2008, roughly 2.7 million new HIV cases were reported.
According to the un.org website, “It’s been thirty years since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, and currently, in the U.S. there are 10 million people waiting for treatment.”
By Connor Rowe –
Two NBA players, one incident and two different consequences.
Recently, NBA star, Kobe Bryant called referee, Bennie Adams a f—ing fag-t. Bryant was fined $100,000 for the anti-Gay slur.
Two months later, Joakim Noah called a fan a f—ing fag-t after he was being harassed all game from the bench. The only difference in the case is the fact that this certain incident happened about a month later. However something else was different when the case concluded.
Noah was charged $50,000 for the repeated quote of Bryant.
The league is trying to crack down on anti-gay actions according to the Desert Sun.
If the league was really trying to crack down on anti-gay actions why wouldn’t the fine double every time someone took place in the action.
However the fine was split into half.
Does the NBA actually care about this topic or are they just issuing random fines?
“By the time it’s up to $500,000, the players will clean up their act,”said Desert Sun sports writer Shad Powers.
One difference between the two actions was that Bryant said it to a referee and Noah said it to a fan.
“We know now that a ref is twice as important as a fan because Kobe was fined $100,000 and Noah $50,000,” said Powers.
The debate on if the NBA really does in fact care continues.
To cover up the recent issues of the anti-gay slurs, the NBA has been broadcasting commercials encouraging trash talkers to not use the word “gay.” The twist to this is that they had two role player NBA players speak out on the commercials. The NBA has never put on role players in featured commercials.
Jared Dudley was one of the players aired in the commercial discouraging anti-gay trash talking.
Even though Dudley has played Divsion 1 basketball at Boston College, if you’re a young kid passionate of the NBA which player are you going to live by more? Kobe Bryant or Jared Dudley? Why wouldn’t the NBA find a player who has played in the all-star game in at least the past decade to promote this issue?
One NBA player is making the change.
According to Steve Nash’s Twitter account, he just finished taping a commercial for gay marriage. A Suns’ follower on Twitter said: Very disappointing Nash would do a commercial supporting gay marriage. Steve, something we should know? Nash’s response: Yes, tolerance.
By Alex Geli and Jake Shiner –
Dear females, see the “x” on the top right (or left if you’re using a Mac) of your screen? Click on it. The information below is strictly for your counterpart: males.
It’s sort of like in your sex ed class when you had to exit the room to let the boys learn about their certain “parts” that may be found below their belt. This time, although around the same area, they are the overlying garments of the groin. Some wear boxers, some wear briefs, and hopefully no one wears whitey tighties.
“They both have good qualities, but boxers really take the cake,” said senior Cody Welch.
As to why, Welch was just looking out for his land down under.
“Gotta give (them) some air,” he said.
“Oh definitely boxers,” senior Zach Miller said, “(because) I like the movement I get in them.”
There is a special bond between Miller and his undergarments. His boxers reflect his personality, and he never would he cheat on them by wearing briefs, even if he is exercising.
Going in detail on how far he would go to stay faithful to his underwear, he said, “I’d rather be commando.”
Commando-Style, according to urbandictionary.com, “is the act of not wearing underwear under one’s outer clothing.”
When choosing boxers or briefs, many factors come into play.
1. Comfort.
Tyler Beckley and Quinn Nadu, both seniors, are two men who perceive choosing underwear as no joke.
“Boxers are more comfortable,” Beckley said. “It’s like I’m wearing tights or something,” referring to when briefs are wrapped around his waist instead of the looser underwear, boxer shorts.
“Briefs are constrictive,” Nadu added.
Tyler Wilson and Eric Bear, on the other hand, disagree. They think that it’s the other way around – boxers are just plain old irritating.
“Boxers are so annoying,” Bear said. “They always ride up on me.”
Wilson concurred, “Boxers give you wedgies,” while being enlightened by not-so-good memories full of scrunched up faces and odd, penguin-like walks.
2. Support.
Seniors Kyle Hallett, Patrick Jones, Willie Chalfant, Jaq Presbery and Mark Curtin, and junior Russell Thorsen all agree that briefs are the best bet when talking about support.
“Briefs all day,” Presbery and Curtin agreed.
“I like the support of the briefs,” Thorsen said. “It’s like a sports bra (under there).”
3. Appearance.
One thing boxers have that briefs are deprived of is design.
Thorsen, although admitting he was a “hybrid underwear-er,” as he put it, the design of his boxers swayed him towards his decision of which one to wear.
“I like the pinstripes a lot,” he said.
Thespian Cody Goldberg had no choice whether to switch it up one day since he “ordinarily (wears) briefs,” as he was left with no clean pairs.
“I was out of briefs so I’m sporting the ‘Grinch Stole Christmas’ boxers,” Goldberg said as he pulled his back out attempting to show the world his cartoon-themed underwear, possibly ripping them in the process – good thing he’s a briefs guy.
Some like the look of boxers, therefore putting those baggy loops through both of their legs, but some rather them be more on display for all to see.
After getting Super Man whitey tighties for Christmas, senior Jordon Lyons put them in a slightly unfamiliar place to underwear.
“They’re hanging up on my wall,” he said proudly.
4. Possibility of chafing.
First of all, what the heck is “chafing?” Again, according to urbandictionary.com, chafing “to rub and cause irritation or friction,” particularly in the groin area.
Miller, as mentioned before, is a fan of boxers. One reason why? Well, chafing occurs when briefs are conformed to the bottom half of his body; therefore, itching, some redness and possibly a rash soon comes into play.
Actually, to be specific, Miller described the “c” word as “little gnomes inside your pants with wool rags rubbing up on your legs.” To combat this epidemic, he relies on a substance called baby powder, provided by the company Johnson & Johnson.
5. The abilities.
Referring to maneuverability and breathe-ability, it is essential that the user is satisfied with the amount of air enabling the body to be more mobile.
Welch, a boxers-savvy gentleman mentioned previously, welcomes the massive amount of air suppressed inside boxer shorts.
“They breathe easier,” he said. While in briefs, “they suffocate in there,” he added.
Like Welch and Thorsen, some students choose to wear both boxer shorts or boxer briefs. The more outgoing seem to lean towards the more colorful and loose choice, boxers, while others are left with briefs.
When it comes to teachers, well, it’s a different story.
“I look to make sure I have clothes. That’s all I worry about,” said history teacher Joe Herman. The other teachers, though, weren’t as easy going.
Jon Boxleitner, another history teacher, reached into his past and pulled out the younger, marine version of himself – along with a movie quote…
“That’s a matter of national security,” he said.
By Morgan Fletcher –
When the topic of learning to drive comes up, I try my hardest to change the subject.
See the thing is, I’m 18 and I still don’t have my license.
Yes, I know you’re thinking why on Earth have I waited so long.
The truth is, I just wasn’t the typical teenager who rushed to the DMV on my sixteenth birthday in hopes of getting my permit.
In fact, I waited months after my birthday to finally work up the motivation to take the test and I failed not once, but twice.
Third time proved to be the charm, however, as I finally landed the ticket to freedom. That’s hardly the merit I gave to my permit, though, for I let it expire and I had to renew it late last year.
There are reasons as to why I just wasn’t initially psyched to learn to drive.
For one, I have a twin sister, and my parents made it very clear that when we started driving, there would be only one car for us to share. Since my sister hopped on the first opportunity to get her permit and landed it on the first attempt, I figured, why should I bother getting mine if we already have to share a car?
A lot of times we’re going to the same place anyway and if not, she or my parents just take me where I need to go.
I have to say, though, if I knew all the wrath I’d receive from friends and family for not getting my license in a reasonable time frame, I might have attempted to learn to drive sooner.
I’m constantly called lazy and one of my sister’s favorite things to do is to complain about how annoyed she gets by toting me around everywhere, which is hardly true.
It’s not like I don’t take responsibility for OUR vehicle.
My dad, my sister and I all put one-third into the car payment and every time we get gas, my sister and I split the bill.
So it’s basically like I’m driving the car too, I’m just never behind the wheel. At least that’s what I tell myself.
Needless to say, I haven’t practiced driving too, too much. My dad is the designated driving instructor as my mom refuses to get in a car with me behind the wheel.
Based on the few times we’ve gone out to drive, I wouldn’t consider myself to be terrible.
Sometimes my dad gets a little impatient and I get frustrated. He tells me I drive like an old woman.
I really can’t tell how good of a driver I’m going to be but hopefully I’ll manage to steer clear of too much trouble.
My mom told me that ever since she saw me drive the antique cars at Hershey Park, she’s been worried about my driving skills.
I’ll admit that it gets annoying to have to call and wait for my parents or sister to pick me up from work and I get frustrated sometimes because I don’t have the freedom to just get up and go as I please.
But then again I really wouldn’t have that freedom if I did have my license since my sister and I have to share the car. Many more fights will spark when I begin to drive because we will constantly be fighting over who gets the car.
Still, I know my time to get behind the wheel is long overdue and I plan to practice more and go for my license before summer approaches.
Unlike most people my age, I still have time to make learning-to-drive memories.
By Ryan Krause –
Is 150GB enough data to last you a month?
Well, whether or not you like it, AT&T users will have to comply.
On May 2, 2011 AT&T applied a new data cap to their broadband users of 150GB per month. And every 50GB over that costs an additional $10.
Now, should you be worried? Or will that only affect the data-consuming Torrent users?
Actually yes, you should be worried.
With today’s ability to stream movies over sites like Hulu and YouTube it is very easy to hit the limit if you’re a media user.
An average HD video being streamed consumes about 2GB per hour and a standard video anywhere from 0.3GB to 1GB per hour.
That could eat one’s data up to the cap pretty quickly if there’s multiple users on that one network. AT&T claims that only two percent of their customers are expected to breach that cap.
According to MaximumPC.com, AT&T said that an average user uses about 18GB per month.
But what about enthusiasts who game daily online? Or have daily updates from programs?
One may be thinking, “Hey, this program will provide me with this information! It can’t hurt to slap on top of the other ones I have running in the background.”
But, it all adds up. Especially with weekly updates from online games that can be a couple GB.
And how about iTunes and other media distributors online that focus on downloading their products? Steam, a digital distributor for games, has everything focused around downloading all their games. And a majority of them can be anywhere from 50MB to 12GB.
Luckily for the AT&T “U-verse” members, (ones who pay extra to have internet, TV and phone access) they are capped at 250GB per month. That’s the same amount of a cap as Comcast’s.
By Marc Summy –
Penn Manor boy’s volleyball beat Wilson Monday day night 3-1. They will now move into pool play which will begin at 4:30, Wednesday night at Central York High School. This was the teams first district win since 2005. Leading the comets was outside hitter, Dylan Weber, with 23 kills and middle, Dayonte Dixon, with four aces and one block.