A “Long” Time Cleaning up the Park

By Laura Revelt –

Penn Manor students spent the day cleaning up one of Lancaster’s treasures.

Penn Manor’s Serteen Club and the Life Skills class cleaned up Long’s Park on April 29. This sort of preparation is vital for the upcoming Sertoma Chicken Barbecue and the park’s summer season.

It started out as a cool April morning with overcast skies, but eventually temperatures reached 70 degrees, a hot day to be working outside. At the entrance of Long’s Park, Penn Manor students were already hard at work. Their day consisted of mulching, planting flowers,  pulling weeds and much more.

The Serteen Club and the Life Skills class arrived at Long’s Park at 8:00 am and their day was to end at 2-2:30 pm. A long day of volunteering, but this is nothing new for this group. According to Barb Rathbone- Frank there has been a long history of Serteen helping out at the park near the end of April.

“It’s just what we do every year. Same time, same place,” said Rathbone-Frank.

“It’s another way to give back to the community, which is our main goal,” explained Stef Friedman, the Serteen President.

Eric Bear, another Serteen member, said its important to get people throughout the community together and to be aware of service needed.

“Every little bit counts,” added Bear.

This is both Friedman and Bear’s third year volunteering at the park.

The group may be dedicated, but it’s not always easy.

“Horrible allergies! My nose runs all day,” said Friedman.

Multiple workers could be spotted wiping their noses, sneezing and rubbing aggravated eyes.

The Life Skills class also helps at the park every year. According to Melissa McMichael, a Life Skills teacher, Serteen and the Life Skills class coordinate schedules to set up a day that they can both help at the park.

“It’s a good opportunity for the kids to have fun and to practice their work skills,” said McMichael.

“It’s a nice thing,” said Rathbone-Frank, “to have them working together is good,”

“They definitely look forward to it every year,” added McMichael.

Rachel Taylor, another Life Skills teacher said, “It’s nice for them to come back in the summer with their families and point out the things at the park that they did.”

Overall the student’s efforts are definitely valued.

“Next to the Barbeque, this is the single most important day of the year for Long’s Park,” said Debra Martin Berkoski.

Berkoski is the Long’s Park Maintenance Supervisor and has been for 13 years. Berkoski graduated from Penn Manor in 1985.

“When I was in high school I was in 4H and FFA,” said Berkoski. “By doing those I gained a lot of knowledge necessary for working here.”

“I, along with three total people here, maintain the 80 acres and we facilitate any event here,” explained Berkoski.

According to Berkoski, Long’s Park has 18,000 trees, 13 weeks of concerts over the summer (Sunday nights, Memorial day through Labor Day), a petting farm, four police horses are housed at that park, fireworks on the Fourth of July and events that hold up to 50,ooo people. Other perks of the park include the pond with a bridge and gazebo, walking paths, an open field for activities and playgrounds.

According to the park’s website, Longspark.org, besides the Chicken Barbecue and summer music series, another major event is the Long’s Park Arts and Crafts Festival. None of these events would be possible without the efforts “behind the scenes.”

“Some people (who come to the park) are really grateful, but others don’t realize the work behind it,” said Bear.

Perhaps because people are so accustomed to the park being there for all to enjoy or because public goods are taken for granted, it is overlooked that there are people, including Sertoma, volunteers, and Maintenance, that work hard to keep it that way.

According to Lancastersertomabbq.com, 80 percent of the money made from the Chicken Barbecue goes towards Long’s Park. Along with the park, Lancaster Sertoma supports Penn Manor’s Serteen Club with scholarship money, by paying for t-shirts and this year paid for the teachers’ substitutes during the cleanup.

The Sertoma Chicken Barbecue is the World’s largest chicken barbecue and will take place on May 21 from 1o:oo am- 6:oo pm (Lancastersertomabbq.com). Come out and help raise money for Long’s Park.

 

 

NFL Lockout ended briefly, begins again

By: Stetson Hershey

Just as soon as it ends, it begins again.

The NFL lockout is back on, effective immediately. The reinstatement of the  lockout was announced Friday during the NFL draft after the NFL was granted it’s stay until an appeal is heard.

U.S. District Court Judge, Susan Richard Nelson sided with the players  Monday when she wrote  an 89-page order that said the lockout was causing “irreparable harm” to the players.

The NFL however appealed the ruling, questioning whether Nelson exceeded her jurisdiction. The league asked for a “hold” or “stay” on her ruling until the appeal was heard. It was later dismissed by Judge Nelson.

When the lockout was first lifted, players were allowed to return to work. The training facilities  were open to the few players who went into work, but players were not allowed to work out or speak to their coaches while in the building. After Judge Nelson reviewed the NFL’s request for a hold and dismissed it, the players were allowed to talk to their coaches and work out in the weight rooms.They were also allowed to collect playbooks, which is a big deal for teams with new coaches on the staff.

Commissioner Roger Goodell in mediation talks with Players association. Photo By baysportsjournal.blogspot.com

Even though the lockout was lifted, there was still no new collective bargaining agreement. That means there are no guidelines for contacts, free agency, trades, etc. The old CBA still comes into effect, allowing mandatory minicamps and voluntary off-season practices to begin under the rules of the old CBA. Players can potentially now earn their workout bonuses in their contracts by working out on their own if they have health insurance in place.

Players and coaches weren’t in contact very long. The lockout was re-announced shortly after players had arrived and left the team facilities. The good news was, before the lockout was reinstated, first round draft picks were able to talk and meet with coaches and the staff, and some even collected playbooks.

The 8th U.S Circuit Court of Appeal in St. Louis granted the NFL it’s stay. It was a 2-1 decision in favor of the temporary stay. Kermit Bye, one of the judges of the circuit, said the temporary stay should only be applied during “emergency situations”. The Appeals Court is expected to be heard next week for the NFL’s request of a permanent stay until the appeal is heard by Judge Nelson’s injunction. This process could take 6-8 weeks.

“The NFL has not persuaded me this is the type of emergency situation which justifies the grant of a temporary stay,” Bye wrote.

Judge Bye wrote the NFL hasn’t provided enough proof that the league would suffer irreparable harm without the lockout, and asked for the stay so the NFL wouldn’t have to run it’s business without a CBA in place.

“Routine grant of stay and totally expected,” said the lead players attorney Jim Quinn,”The only surprise is that Judge Bye is so strongly against giving them even a tiny stay because the league obviously can’t show it is necessary.”

Fans are becoming impatient and upset with the handling of the labor situation.

“They should get over being greedy and just play the game,” said Tyler Beckley, a senior at Penn Manor.

Players all over the league tweeted their opinions and feelings about the lockout being back on, some of them apologized to the fans about the way this has all turned out. Coaches and general managers alike are also disappointed with the lockout being back on.

“Nobody’s happy about any of this,” Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson said in an interview with CBS Sports.com, “But it is what it is. The lockout is back into effect.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Osama Bin Laden Photo Malfunction

By: Lizzie Pflumm and Lauren Richards –

Osama Bin Laden might be dead, but he is still killing computers.

The FBI has issued a warning to Facebook users about a scam involving a photo-shopped picture of Bin Laden.

A picture of Osama Bin Laden captures the eyes of many Facebook users. Photo credit to Baynews.

“I saw it, but didn’t click on it,” said Kate Harrold a junior at Penn Manor.

The virus is being promoted as the exclusive photo everyone is dying to see, but it is not a real photo.  The real photo may be released as early as today, May 4.

“I just wanted to blow up the picture to look at it,” said Kenny Weidman, a senior at Penn Manor whose computer was locked after clicking on the photo.

“The picture looked photo-shopped, from the nose down was completely different than the rest of his face,” said Weidman.

Some Penn Manor students realized something was not right in the picture, and decided not to click on it.

“You can just tell when it is a virus,” said senior Toni Warfel.

“These viruses are often programmed to steal your personally identifiable information,” according to the law enforcement of the FBI.

Analysis of these attacks show that most of the malicious attacks are originating in Brazil, Europe and the US.

Fast Five

By Evan Shertzer –

Cars, fast driving, girls, guns, fighting and two giant sweaty guys.

That’s the basics of the new movie Fast Five, and the previous standards of the movies in the Fast and Furious series.

The new movie was released on Friday, April 29th and featured the stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson (The Rock).  That weekend, Fast Five sold over $80 million in tickets according to rottentomoatoes.com.

The movie begins with Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia Toretto trying to escape the law by running across the border. It’s a classic action packed movie with the “bad” guys running from the cops. While in Brazil, they are on their last ‘job’ before they can break free and disappear forever. They assemble their team of elites to bring down a corrupt business owner in the local area. They plan on stealing over $100 million and splitting it between the group and then buying their freedom. Their plan is slightly interrupted when the federal agent Luke Hobbs(Dwayne Johnson) is sent in with his task team to bring in Brian and Dom.

The Fast Five movie poster from boomtron.com

The movie continues on with lots of gunfire and fast cars along with one big fight scene between Dom and Luke. The two giant guys plow each other through walls  and glass with the fight leading to near death.

Overall I thought Fast Five was a good movie and would agree with the rating of 7.9 from imbd.com (internet movie database). There were a lot of well done action scenes in the movie, but one thing this movie lacked was the amount of cars in it.

The Fast and Furious movies have all been based around cars and racing, but this ones theme was more similar to Gone In 60 Seconds, with ‘do the last job and disappear forever’. I wished there would have been more racing in the movie and more about cars like the previous movies.

The movie was definitely worth seeing. It may be two hours long, but it’s well worth sitting in the theater that long. One thing I would recommend that I wasn’t able to do was see the movie in IMAX. I saw the movie on the regular screen and wished I would’ve seen it on the larger IMAX experience.

Fast Five was a good intense action packed movie and I would recommend you to see it in theaters if you are attached to the Fast and Furious series, you like action packed movies, or just simply like watching cars.

PM Alum Living and Coping with MS

By Kira Hess –

From diagnosis to present day, Kim Shenk, a Penn Manor alumni, has been living with MS.

“I have RR MS, which is the relapsing-remitting, multiple sclerosis,” said Shenk of Lancaster County. She is a wife and mother of two and a very happy, outgoing woman who doesn’t let having MS bring her down.

Shenk graduated from Penn Manor and both of her daughters attend Pequea Elementary. She works in a doctor’s office and enjoys helping others.

About 65-80 percent of people who have MS begin with relapsing-remitting MS, where individuals deal with symptoms that may completely or partially disappear, until another attack occurs.

“I wasn’t really too surprised when I found out I had MS. I knew something was wrong with me, I just didn’t have a name for it yet,” said Shenk.

Others living with MS may have blurred, doubled or a loss of vision. Other symptoms include weakness, muscle spasms, fatigue, numbness and prickling pain, loss of sensation, tremors and dizziness. Half of those who have MS experience mental challenges, loss of memory, and concentration.

“MS is very humbling,” said Shenk, who was diagnosed in 2006. “Some of the symptoms are embarrassing. I’ve had double vision, cognitive issues…that’s what bothered me the most. If I read something as simple as a recipe, I’d have to read it again and again.”

Shenk also mentioned numbness and major itching down her one side, “I’d scratch but it wouldn’t go away.”

She has dealt with nerve pain in her hand and had trouble walking at one time a couple of years ago. She also has suffered from severe fatigue which often goes along with another symptom.

There are also those with RR MS who can enter a phase where disability accumulates. This is called secondary progressive or SP MS. Fifty percent of individuals will develop this advanced form of MS within 10 years despite the use of treatment. This could include, but is not limited to, becoming wheel-chair bound or having permanent visual problems.

“The biggest impact in my life was that I wanted to have more kids. However, because you don’t have a guarantee that you’ll be able to take care of them, and I realize there’s no guarantees in life but…I don’t want to risk not being able to be there. I have two beautiful little girls and I’m happy with them,” said Shenk.

Scientists are working on shots similar to a vaccination to prevent MS, since they believe it has a hereditary role, for children that have MS running in their family. Shenk stated that she would definitely get her daughters, Hannah and Caroline, the shots when they come out.

“A couple of years ago it had more of an effect on me than it does now, I feel like my medicine is working, and I don’t have as many cognitive problems now. I feel very blessed and I’m doing very well. I’m able to have a normal life.”

Breaking out new Episodes to Break-in the Spring

By Storm Kelley –

Graphic violence, over-the-top comedy, singers in a game show – a recipe for TV success – for some.

Three new shows premiering this spring will delight students at Penn Manor who enjoy either action, quirky comedy or undiscovered talent.

Breakout Kings, a drama on A&E, follows two U.S. Marshals tired of outdated techniques to catch escaped fugitives. They form a special task force of three convicts-an ex-gangbanger, with no respect for law enforcement, a behaviorist/psychiatric expert who excels in psychoanalysis, whose every thought is vocalized and a sexy, yet disgruntled expert tracker who learned her trade from her bounty hunter father.

Breakout kings premiered Spring 2011. Picture courtesy of TV-Series.com

Breakout Kings is a “provocative, useful show for future criminals,” said Eric Byers, a senior at Penn Manor High school who watches the show.

Fox brings Christian Slater back in an over-the-top comedy called “Breaking In.”

This series centers on a security business that specializes in giving clients security by taking away their….well, security. Christian Slater plays a manipulative and mysterious head honcho of contra-security.

A firm full of odd-ball, genius hackers, the high-tech security firm takes extreme – and often questionable – measures to sell their protection services.

Mike Hale from the New York Times review calls it “eccentric” …(it) “isn’t memorable in any way, but it’s fast-paced and easy to watch, with some amusing secondary characters.”

A blind folded-American Idol? Host Carson Daily and a concoction of big time vocalists -Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton put contestants through three phases of competition. “The Voice” is a singer-in-a-game show hour where judges determine vocalists according to voice not appearance.

Fox’s remake of Holland’s “voice of Holland” lets the judges hear the contestants perform, but they don’t get to see them – thanks to rotating chairs and a red button.

“I like the voice better than American Idol,” says Morgan Chenault. The four celebrity judges do a great job of “not going off someone’s looks but by their voice.”

 

Do you call 911 or Poke Them?

By Alexander Sanchez-Cruz –

Now instead of calling 911 to report a criminal or suspicious activity, you can just poke law enforcement or message them for help on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

Social websites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace try to help out police departments by creating pages devoted to wanted criminals and the apprehension of them.

Police officers use these pages and even post on social media to help apprehend criminals but sometimes they go too far.

Some police officers can’t post videos, crime photos or another kind of police information. Police departments across the country are struggling with setting appropriate boundaries for their officers concerning social networking..

Officer Trey Economindy of Albuquerque is on desk duty for posting on Facebook that the purpose of his job is to be a “human waste disposal.”  Now he is saying that “[it was] extremely inappropriate and a lapse in judgment on my part.”

Multiple cases like this have been happening since social networks were created and are still happening.

Economindy may get off lucky and keep his job.

In a New york case, an officer had a weapons change on him for listing his mood on Myspace as “devious”  and wrote on Facebook  that he was in the movie “Training Day” to “brush up on proper police procedure.”

The advice to police officers is the same given to teens: be careful what you post on the internet. You can get in trouble before someone is even a police officer.

Obesity – Now a Young Disease

By Iris Santana –

Obesity among the young is increasing rapidly. Kids are having health problems at an earlier age each year. The food that is served at school is sometimes blamed.  While some of it is fattening, like fries and cookies, healthy options are available.

But kids don’t always make the right choices.

Many kids are picking up unhealthy habits thanks to what they are exposed to at school. According to recent health studies,  four percent of children were overweight in 1982. By 1994, it rose to 16 percent.  Today, the American Medical Association claims up to 32 percent of children are overweight or obese.

Stop Childhood Obesity

In a study that analyzed children’s eating habits over two decades (1973-1994), there was a marked increase in the incidence of missed breakfast, increased numbers of eating dinner outside of the home and increased snacking during the day.

To teach kids how to eat healthy and stay fit, there needs to be more programs to work with them individually.

“If we’re really looking at programs shown to address obesity (in young children), there are none out there,” claimed James O. Hill, director of the Center for Human Nutrition and the Colorado Nutrition Obesity Research Center.

If the increase of obesity in children isn’t controlled, many kids will be at risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, arthritis and general poor health status when they are adults. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 percent of obese adults were overweight as children.

Obesity Awareness Ribbon

Some schools have “check ups.”  They then send a letter home with the child’s results. In the letter it may state whether the child is obese for his or her age.  Many of them are.

More encouraging programs, such as fun days, relay races at school and fun activities that also give kids their daily exercise would motivate kids to be more active and become more healthy, giving them a brighter and less stressful future.

He’s a Real Inspiration to Students

By Iris Santana –

Running- his time to get away, his stress releaser, his passion.

Robert Wolpert, an eleventh grader at JP McCaskey had his heart torn out of him when he received the news that he wouldn’t be able to run anymore.

“I kinda cried,” he said. “I felt like I lost something real great.”

But Wolpert’s dedication to get through his crisis is an inspiration to students everywhere.

Wolpert has a condition called Spondylosis. Spondylosis is a degenerative

Anteroposterior view of lumbar spine. Vertical overgrowths from margins of vertebral bodies represent osteophytes.

disorder that may cause loss of normal spinal structure and function.

Running helps him get away from everything in his house, in his head and everywhere else. It releases the stress that goes on in his life.

Before his diagnosis, Wolpert was always a runner.  Then in the middle of seventh grade he started experiencing all of the symptoms of Spondylosis, which consists of low back stiffness, difficulty walking and back pain coming and going. This would make almost everything he did on a daily basis painful. Simple things like laying down, were uncomfortable.

Boston Overlap Back Brace

When he finally went to the doctors’, they told him he had a bilateral-stress fracture on his L-5 lumbar. He was then “sentenced” to six weeks of wearing a Boston Overlap Back Brace. While wearing the brace, Wolpert must follow very strict rules. He is not allowed to participate in any type of sports, activities, events and he has to wear it from the time he wakes up to the time he goes to sleep. He is also not allowed to have lotion on his body because if his brace rubs against his skin, it may cause skin damage.

Not only does he have to follow strict rules, but having to wear the brace affects normal, everyday tasks, such as walking up steps or tying his shoes. It also gets very irritating because the brace has to be tucked inside his jeans.

Wolpert said that having to wear the brace affects his attitude most of the time. He gets really grumpy and angry at times, thinking about not being able to run.

“It’s very depressing to not be able to do something you love and are passionate about,” said Wolpert.

Although running is his passion, he still has “substitutions” for it. Since he can’t run, he goes for walks and listens to his ipod to ease his mind. He also said he likes to write poems and reads sometimes.

Wolpert still faithfully goes to every home track meet to support his team.

Robbed, Bomb Threat.. and now a Fire?

By Sarah Garner –

Imagine going to work at a place that was had been robbed at gun point, had multiple bomb threats and just experienced a fire.

An electrical fire broke out Thursday evening around 4:30, Friendly’s on Columbia Avenue had an electrical fire which lost  customers and caused them to close down for the night.

I pulled up to work early expecting to sit in my car and listen to music for a few minutes, like I normally do.

A co-worker of mine came down to my car to tell me that I’m probably not going to be working tonight, which would be the third night in a row because I’ve been sick.

She explained to me that there was an electrical fire and the first responders were on their way.

Shortly after I heard the news, two fire trucks came blazing into the parking lot followed by police officers.

I didn’t see smoke or flames so I was wondering what was such a big deal.

The firemen ran into the building with flashlights and giant fans while the police officer talked to our manager.

I didn’t really see the need for someone to be directing traffic, but there was. I then noticed that vehicles coming up and down Columbia Avenue decreased their speed and the traffic director was just keeping them moving. We didn’t need an accident and more responders on the scene. There was already too much going on.

They weren’t there too long before people were coming out saying everything should be fine. We just couldn’t go in or reopen until the electrical people came to inspect it.

My manager came to the understanding that we were probably not going to be able to open again that night, so she sent most of us home.

I don’t get why everything happens to this Friendly’s.