Smoke Hangs in the Shadows of New York

By Lyta Ringo –

Back in 2006, New York banned smoking in indoor places. Shortly after, many states began to prohibit indoor public smoking as well. New York’s ban even spread to the entire UK.

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng.

New York is back at it again. Published on the BBC news website was an article announcing that outdoor smoking is now being banned in certain areas.

The areas include public beaches, municipal parks and even Times Square.

Spain actually took the lead on this one, banning smoking near hospitals and school playgrounds.

“I don’t think smoking outdoors is really harmful, it is what it is I guess,” said Penn Manor junior Mitch Wise, “now outside a hospital, that’s just bad morals.”

Found in the BBC news article, “New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office has cited studies suggesting that sitting three feet away from a smoker outdoors can expose people to the same passive smoking risk as would occur indoors.”

No smoking signs have become a very popular thing to see. Before you could go to a restaurant and choose either a smoking or a non-smoking section. Nowadays you can’t even smoke outside most restaurants, you’re asked to walk away. For some smokers this can be a good thing, for others it’s a hassle everyday.

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng.

The smoking ban isn’t the only thing keeping smoking in the news either. A couple of months ago the Food and Drug Administration began considering a ban of menthol cigarettes, because they appeal to teens, they are easier to smoke and harder to quit. One Turkey Hill employee said, “They’re pushing for (a ban on menthols) by the end of June.”

That’s a hint that menthol will no longer be sold anywhere.

Again, another good push for any smoker trying to quit.

Has New York set another standard for the rest of the world? If so, how will this outdoor ban affect those who do smoke?

Sophomore Adrienne Eager said, “If you can’t smoke outdoors where the (heck) are you suppose to smoke? Just ban it all together.”

 

 

American Values Tattered by bin Laden’s Death

By Storm Kelley –

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
and to the republic for which it stands
one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for…. all?”

This is defined as the Pledge of allegiance. The Pledge is recited before school starts and at the beginning of a sporting event. In simple terms, the Pledge states that the person reciting the Pledge is in allegiance with the republic’s rules, stands undivided under the United States, is independent and that everyone will receive equal punishment for crimes done.

Maybe the definition of “justice” has changed sine June 14, 1954 (flag day) when the final changes to the Pledge were made.

On September 11 2001, America was untied under hatred and pursued vengeance to the wrongs done to them. After 10 years, on May 1st, 2011, Osama bin Laden was murdered by an elite group of U.S. Navy SEALs. Bin Laden, who plotted terroristic threats against the United States and was a known conspirator behind the September 11 attacks, was hidden inside a compound thought to be in accords with the Pakistani government.

A teacher at Penn Manor high school, who requested to stay anonymous said, “Justice was served.”

Justice stands for all, not excluding foreigners. Graphic courtesy of Library.UNCC.Edu

American citizens pledge to equality and freedom.

Recent actions say otherwise. Equality and freedom must not extend to the humanity outside the borders of  our territory. Osama bin Laden was charged and executed on the same day.  The code with which all Americans live upon, referred to as the Constitution has no indication of a statement such as “your right to life does not exceed the right of the American government to end it.

However, the constitution does quote, under the 6th amendment, “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial.”

The proper argument would be that Osama was a direct threat to the United States and was not an American.

The justice system is the foundation of “the land of the free and home of the brave,” yet to the convenience of the American Government, all rules and regulations are thrown out.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Rashard Mendenhall quoted on his twitter account, “What kind of person celebrates death? It’s amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We’ve only heard one side…”

The United states began an “eye for an eye” campaign after the assassination of Osama Bin Laden.  Just because our country is doing it, doesn’t make it right.

 

 

13 Colleges Still Accepting Applications Late in the Game

By Lauren Richards –

Didn’t get into the college you applied to? Forgot to send in your application? Have no fear procrastinators- it’s not too late!

The college application process can be stressful for many college-bound seniors. It’s easy to put off applying until you realize the deadline for your desired school has passed. Luckily there are 13 universities still accepting applications, some are even local. So if you’re currently unsure of your plans for next year and want to go to college, there are still some options.

The 13 schools still accepting applications are:

1. Allegheny College, Pennsylvania
2. Boise State University, Idaho
3. Chapman University, California
4. Columbia College Chicago
5. Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey
6. University of Maine
7. University of Alabama in Huntsville
8. Morehouse College, Georgia
9. Ohio Wesleyan University
10. Savannah College of Art and Design
11. York St John University, United Kingdom
12. John Cabot University, Italy
13. Marymount Manhattan College, New York

Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. Photo by Huffington Post.

Some Penn Manor seniors were, or still are, unsure of their plans for next year.

Eric Bear didn’t know what he was going to do about college due to a cruise he was taking that would have caused him to miss the first week of freshman classes.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do, but then I got the opportunity to go to study abroad in Paris so I’m doing that,” Bear said.

Ella Perry is attending Temple University next year, but she could have been in trouble had she not gotten in because that was the only school she applied to. For Perry, a school accepting applications late in the year might have been an option.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t gotten in, I would’ve scrambled,” Perry said.

Hannah Willett is still not sure what she is doing next year, but forgetting to apply to schools was not a problem for her.

“I applied to colleges and got accepted but just decided I didn’t want to go,” Willett said.

Willett said the schools still accepting applications do not interest her.

Whether you’re planning on going to college or not, universities still accepting applications allow you to keep your options open.

Student Loan Debt – a Rising Tide

Student loan debt rose more than credit card debt for the first time last year and is likely to top a trillion dollars this year. With Pennsylvania’s higher education funding cut in Pennsylvania for next year, local students could feel an even heavier burden.

Two-thirds of bachelor’s degree recipients graduated with debt in 2008, compared with less than half in 1993, according to the New York Times. Last year, graduates who took out loans left college with an average of $24,000 in debt.

“I started doing architecture and then moved to teacher. I attended Pennsylvania University and ended up at Millersville,” said Teacher Nick Swartz.

“I had to pay 30,000$ and it takes about 10 years from graduation to pay off. But money wasn’t an issue at the time in High School. I got some academic scholarship but if I could do it all over again I would have more academic scholarship. Is just that I wasn’t in the real world,” he added.

But it may be worth it.

Student Loan Debt. Photo courtesy of http://www.theposselist.com

In 2008, the median earnings of a bachelor’s degree recipient were almost $22,000 more per year than a high-school graduate. And lifetime – college grads earn 65 percent more than high school grads.

With more students borrowing money for college, student loan debt in the U.S. is now greater than credit card debt, but according CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds reports, it’s still a smart investment.

” I plan on going into college and being $50,000 in debt. It is going to be bad paying 16,000 a year, but it doesn’t surprise me how credit card debt is now lower than college debt,” said senior Tyler Beckley.

According to CreditKarma.com, a consumer credit advocate, which released its U.S. Credit Score Climate Report with trend data for April 2011, student loan debt increased over last year.

In fact, nationally, average student loan debt per consumer increased six percent since April 2010 to $29,572.

The debt is building higher and higher while the paychecks parents and students are receiving are remaining the same. Students and their families are just going to have to deal with it, according to senior Darius Howard.

“You gotta do whatcha gotta do,” he said.

Playoffs Possibly In the Future for Hometown Baseball Clubs

By Brandon Bowers –

The three home town baseball teams (Phillies, Pirates, and Orioles) have some new players and some returning players to help their team get to the playoffs and seal a spot in this year’s World Series.

Every loss will be big. Every win will be big. A playoff appearance would be even bigger.

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Phillies new logo Photo by flickr.com

The Philadelphia Phillies have a lot of their starting players back but they are still without their star second baseman, Chase Utley. Although with the All Star out, they are still ranked first in the national league east with 18 wins and 9 loses.

Placido Polanco has the highest batting average on the team of .385 and the highest on base percentage of .433, totaling 42 hits out of 109 at bats. Also their home run champion, Ryan Howard, is leading the team with 6 home runs and 28 RBI’s (runs batted in).

A .286 batting average with 30 hits out of 105 at bats is having a good solid star to this year’s baseball season and plenty more games to play and chances to chase to dream of the home run leader.

The Phillies came off of back to back Worlds Series visits last year, winning the first one in 2008 and losing the second one to the New York Yankees in 2009. The Phils have 132 games left to play and are placed in the top 2 in their division to make it to the playoffs. It will be tough but they have the hitters and the pitching to keep them in any game.

The Phillies dominating pitcher Roy Holladay has four wins out of five and a ERA (earned run average) of 2.14 and 47 strike outs.

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Pirates logo Photo by piratesprospects.com

The Pittsburgh Pirates plan to make it to the playoffs this year with Neil Walker, their second baseman, leading the team in batting average:  .283, RBI’s:  14 and on base percentage:  .353.

Andrew McCutchen, the center fielder, is leading the team with five home runs.

The Pirates are a team that will shock people. They may not be the most well around team that will overpower anyone, but they come ready to play.

The Pirates are fourth overall in the national league central division with a record of 13 wins and 15 losses. They will have to win some big games if they want to extend their season to get to the playoffs.

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Orioles logo Photo by phombo.com

The Baltimore Orioles are a team that has not been too good over the past couple of years now, but with a new coach and some new players they plan to turn this year around.

The star player is veteran Vladimir Guerrero. Their DH (designated hitter) has the highest batting average on the team with .269 and 29 hits out of 108 at bats.

Their center fielder, Adam Jones, is leading the team with five home runs, second baseman Brian Roberts is leading with 19 RBI’s, and catcher Matt Wieters is leading the team with an on base percentage of .318.

The Orioles have a tough season ahead and being in a division with World Series contenders and former winners, it sure won’t be easy. They have to play a lot of hard teams and fight through to keep a lead or come back and win a close one in order to make it to the big show that is the playoffs.


 

Rain Extending Season for Baseball and Softball

By Brandon Bowers –

Rain, rain, go away, come again on a non-game day.

With the seasons of many outdoor spring sports winding down, all the rain we have been having this spring has been postponing sports and moving their games to a later date and extending the season by weeks for some.

Baseball and softball are the ones mostly getting canceled because they don’t want to mess up the fields. With the postponing of the games, the seasons are getting pushed passed the ending date of May sixth.

Baseball field damaged from rain, Photo courtesy of chamberlainsun.com

“It really angers me because I’m always ready for a game and it’s just a downer when it rains and I get a text or hear from a teacher (saying) our game is canceled and moved to a later date,” said junior first baseman Willie Welsh.

“I’m not happy. I get so pumped for game day, and then the rain ruins it,” said Penn Manor senior center fielder Morgan Ream.

“It’s a bummer. It’s tough to be both mentally and physically ready on game day, and then the rain just makes it harder the next day,” said junior second baseman Jenn Hanner, who plays Penn Manor softball.

When games or practices are canceled because of rain, the team often practices inside in a gym – just not the same for many players.

“Inside practices are nothing like outside practice,” said Welsh.  “The ball comes at you twice as hard when we do infield. We have to hit in a cage witch I don’t like because I like to see where the ball goes.”

“Inside practice is terrible,” said Ream. ” It’s JV and varsity in one gym. It’s hard to hit and field with so many people in a small place.”

“Inside practice is really slow and counterproductive. There’s less effort given when we’re indoors and compared to being outdoors it’s definitely not as fun,” Hanner said.

The inside practice may benefit the teams and may but the they give their best effort inside or out.

“We get the same practice as outs

Baseball outfield ruined by rain. Photo courtesy of flickr.com

ide but it’s just not the same experience,” Welsh said. “We put everything we have in inside practice because we want to make it to districts show teams we are better then everyone thought we were.”

“We do benefit and we don’t from indoor practice. At indoor practice we work mainly on bunting and soft hand (for fielding). We can’t do base running and situations inside,” said Ream.

“When we’re focused and give our all, we definitely benefit from indoors practice,” said Hanner.

 

 

PM Nation: MLB Season in Full Gear

By Cody Straub and Taylor Groff  –

Cody Straub: PM Nation is making another rare appearance this year to take an in depth look at the first quarter of the MLB season. There is still tons of baseball to be played, but it seems like just yesterday it was opening day in the MLB and now quarter of the season is already behind us. With that being said, we will take a look at our most surprising team along with our most disappointing team so far this season and our take on who would win the MVP if the season ended today.

Taylor Groff: For me the Florida Marlins have been the most surprising team in baseball. As of right now, they are 5th in the power rankings. They’re (24-17) and only two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. Their pitching staff is led by arguably baseball’s best pitcher Josh Johnson followed by Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco. Even with all-star shortstop Hanley Ramirez struggling the Marlins have had a respectable line-up 1-8. The biggest surprise this season for the Marlins has to be Gaby Sanchez who is hitting .325 with 26 rbi’s and an OBP of .406. If the Marlins keep winning they could possible take the division from slumping Phillies or squeak in with the wild card.       

Cody Straub Co-Editor of PM Nation

CS: The Marlins are exceeded everyone’s expectations it just too bad they can’t even fill their stadium half full because I think they could make the NL East race with the Phillies interesting all summer long.

The most surprising team for me has to be the Cleveland Indians. Before the season started everyone just penciled them into last place in the American League Central Division, but here we are a quarter of the way through the season and they have a five game lead in the division and are 12 games above .500. This team has a great mix of young hitters and veteran hitters in their very balanced lineup to go along with a very young pitching staff that has exceeded everyone’s expectations so far. I don’t know if they can keep this up all season, I just don’t see enough talent on their roster, but that’s what people said coming into the season and they’ve proved them wrong so far, so you never know.

I’m going to stay in the AL Central for my most disappointing team, the Minnesota Twins.  The biggest problem for the Twins, is their so called superstar hitters aren’t producing. Joe Mauer has only played 9 games this season with a .235 batting average, and Justin Morneau is hitting .231 with only 1 home run. These guys were suppose to be the main producers for their lineup and without them producing the Twins have no chance to compete. The Twins are such a disappointment so far this season because with their performances the last few years they have earned a reputation as one of the better teams in the league.

Taylor Groff Co-editor for PM Nation

TG: The most disappointing team has to be the New York Yankees. The Yankees veterans Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada are not producing any runs and have been the teams weakest links. The only bright spot for the Yankees this season is how productive Curtis Granderson has been. With all that said I think that Granderson might be on his way to winning an MVP award.

CS: My MVP so far this season is Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays. Many people thought his break out season last year was a fluke, but he continues to put up impressive numbers so far this season. He leads the league with a .372 batting average and 16 home runs, and is the major reason why the Blue Jays are competing in the tough AL East. Well that’s all we got for today, stay tuned for possibly more PM Nation’s but ‘ll warn you Taylor has a pretty bad case of senioritis so this may be enough work for him.

YouTube- The Next Blockbuster Video?

By Morgan Fletcher –

“So what should we rent from YouTube tonight?”

Although such a question seems out of place at present, it may soon become a common thing to ask.  The video-sharing website YouTube is likely to become a movie rental site in the near future.

The proposal to do so has not happened over night, however.  YouTube has been working for two years to get studios in Hollywood to offer their new-releases for rental to YouTube users.

So far, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures and Warner Brothers are on board to start an agreement with YouTube.

YouTube is set to launch their movie rental deal with major Hollywood studios. Photo courtesy dvice.com

This leaves about 60 percent of North America’s other major studios, including Walt Disney Studios, 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures, out of the deal.

YouTube is working to boost ad revenue by getting viewers to stay on their site for longer periods of time.  They are working to compete against rivals, such as iTunes and Amazon.com, with comparable prices.

Currently, Lionsgate Entertainment, the Weinstein Company and independent filmmakers offer their movies for rental on YouTube.  The addition of bigger Hollywood studios will most likely increase the popularity of rentals.

In the past, there has not been an astounding amount of interest in YouTube rentals.

Students in Penn Manor don’t seem to be in favor of movie rentals via online websites.

“I’d rather watch a movie on my big screen T.V.,” said senior Katie Maisel.

Many movie rental stores like Blockbuster Video have closed because they cannot compete with the lastest methods of movie renting. Photo courtesy collider.com

“I don’t like watching something on my computer,” said senior Sam Adams.

The presence of movie rental stores has diminished over the last few years as viewers find it easier to obtain the entertainment they want through other means, such as Redbox machines, because they have many convenient locations nationwide.

According to students in Penn Manor, these other methods of movie renting will be favored over online viewing.

“I’d rather do Redbox,” said senior Jenna Waite.

“No, I’d rather go to Turkey Hill and get a Redbox,” senior Caroline Lovett said, regarding whether she would take advantage of YouTube’s latest proposal.

Although technology has trumped most factors of our lives, it’s evident that most people still prefer the old-fashioned aspect of movie night.

Two and a Half Men and a Moron

By Kennedy Phillips –

CBS has found a replacement for Charlie Sheen of Two and a Half Men. Ashton Kutcher. Oh God. Currently, no one knows much beyond the fact that Kutcher has signed on. CBS won’t reveal how Sheen will be worked out, how Ashton will be worked in or even what role he’s scripted for.

Charlie Sheen (left) and Ashton Kutcher (right). From the NY Daily News.

Kutcher comes in from a long history of playing dopey, somewhat witless characters, most famously Michael Kelso of That 70’s Show, Jesse Montgomery III from Dude, Where’s My Car?, and, more recently, What Happens in Vegas’ Jack Fuller. A stoner, a stoner and a lazy doofus. I guess he didn’t stereotype his roles too much. I do give him credit, though. He seems pretty clever off screen. Earlier, he hinted at the role, tweeting “What’s the square root of 6.25?” The answer? Two and a half.

As a fan of Sheen’s acting, I expected a majority to agree with me that this was a bad move. Apparently, I was wrong.

According to junior Sianna Emrich, “Charlie Sheen will not be missed.”

And popular Psychology teacher Maria Vita says that she pities Kutcher for ending up on the show, “I hate it [Two and a Half Men]. I’m sorry for Ashton for getting into it.”

Well, anyway, it’s official. Kutcher’s in, Sheen is out, and no one seems to mind.