The Record Weekly
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A Student Publication of the Saint Louis Priory School
Volume 3, Issue 20
Inside This Issue P1. Cover • Pretense of Knowledge • A Little Help? P2. Page 2 of the Weekly • The Knowing • First Entry • Top 10 Movies • Top 10 GNR Songs P3. The Weekly Update •Calendar of Events •Rebel Rock •Record Online P4. Priory Sports Weekly •Frisbee •Cardinals’ season opens • Priory Baseball underway •MLB power rankings P5. The Forum •First entry Cont. •the Record goes online • Odd News P6. Puzzles Weekly •Crossword Puzzle •Stucco Announcement •Sudoku (hard) •Cryptogram
The Record Editors The Record Moderator: Mrs. Barbara Sams The Record Editors: Jim Havel Charlie Freidman Assistant Editors: Sean Lamb Patrick Mulvihill Layout Editor: Chad Huber
Pretense of Knowledge ~ Marlow Gazzoli, ’09 A worthwhile read is the speech F.A. Hayek gave when he received the Nobel Prize for Economics. Entitled “The Pretense of Knowledge,” it is a nice and tasty critique of central economic planning. The basis for government intervention into the economy is the assumption that those who run the government possess the knowledge to do so. I am a good deal more cynical than the common man, but even he will recognize that government is usually not run by the best and brightest. O u r friends on the Left believe that government cannot and should not meddle in our personal affairs. However, this same government which should be kept away from personal liberty issues at all costs is invited to manage and run the economy. This is the same sort of contradiction our friends on the Right have been spouting for the past eight years. The same federal government which is utterly incompetent in managing internal affairs is expected to wipe all tyranny away from foreign lands. The market works in a rather mysterious way. Adam Smith wrote of the “invisible hand.” Somehow everything works. Products are manufactured in the most efficient ways possible; commodities are distributed as needed
Little Help? When the school day is over for us it just begins for an often overlooked and underappreciated part of the Priory family, the janitors. Dictionary.com defines janitor as one employed as a janitor. Huh? They quickly and efficiently prepare the school for our arrival the next day with stealth precision. This is not easy considering how we leave the school building each day. If you are ever in the high school after everyone has left for the day, take a good look around, and you will notice that we take for granted the work that is done after we have left.
throughout the economy. Man prospers, and his quality of life rises. For example, consider the great advances brought about during the Industrial Revolution. Our economy is so complex, it boggles the mind. Just consider a simple No.2 pencil. Trees have to be cut down and turned into lumber; rubber plants have to be processed; ore has to be dug out of the ground and smelted. All these have to be gathered and assembled into pencils, and don’t forget the graphite either. But what is the best lumber, the best rubber, the best way of manufacturing a pencil? Through the interaction of many individuals in the market, all this information is relayed through the price system. Indeed, the market is some sort of conglomeration of man’s intelligences. Yet when the government arrogates to itself control of the market, what happens to this intelligence? In the absence of a free market, there can be no rational determination of prices through profit-loss calculation. What you have is some bureaucrat sitting in a high tower à la the film Brazil deciding what is the best way to make a pencil. This is the pretense of knowledge, that those governing us believe themselves to have the know-how to run and manage a complex economy. This is not the road to prosperity; it is the road to poverty. Just consider the utter destitution of Eastern Europe under the fist of Soviet Communism. If we want prosperity, we must prevent the government from destroying the natural order of the market.
~ Jacob Mohrman, ’12 To give you some idea what I am talking about, stop by the lost and found. As a semi-regular contributor, I am always amazed at how much we regularly leave lying around. By the way, who’s the one smart enough to survive the term in Physics without their textbook? You may think it’s the janitors’ job to clean up after us but it is a thankless job so let’s pitch in and pick up after ourselves and make their life a little easier. Let’s show some respect and appreciation for these important members of our community.
!0 top Movies as of April 5
1. Fast and Furious 2. Monsters vs. Aliens 3. Knowing 4. I Love You, Man 5. The Haunting in Connecticut 6. Adventureland 7. Duplicity 8. Race to Witch Mountain 9. 12 Rounds 10. Sunshine Cleaning
Entertainment Weekly The Knowing This so called action thriller throws famous actor Nicolas Cage into another movie about making discoveries and running around. (National Treasure) He sure knows how to make his character have a boring personality. The movie still has some interesting ideas. It features a document with every disaster and their casualty count for the next 50 years, written 50 years ago. It’d be pretty hard to mess up such an interesting story. It’s hard to describe without giving away the story, but the movie goes downhill fast after a random plane crash. Why? The latter half of the movie
First Entry Guns N’ Roses Top 10 Songs
1. Sweet Child O’ Mine 2. Paradise City 3. Mr. Brownstone 4. Welcome to The Jungle 5. Nightrain 6. Civil War 7. Rocket Queen 8. Mama Kin 9. November Rain 10. Patience Contact the editors if you want to provide a Top 10 Playlist of your own for the band or artist of your choice and it could appear in The Record Weekly in the future...
Hey everyone, Here is my first entry at the conclusion of my “first month” during my actual deployment. We haven’t left the United States but that time is coming very soon. We started our deployment at Springfield, Missouri where the soldiers from across the States came together. We have met only a few times in the past but now we have grown to know each other because of our earlier months of training in Fort Dix and Fort Eustis. I can see how excited the young soldiers are for this deployment. For many of the troopers, this will be their first time in a combat zone. The senior leadership for the most part has deployed before and appears calm. We spent our first few days in the reserve center with other soldiers some of whom bring their families. The families are briefed on what to expect during our deployment. Some families are excited and interested. I can see that other family members who simply come to spend the few remaining
~ Trevor Jin, ’12 becomes a giant chase featuring Rose Byrne as the daughter of the girl who wrote the 50 year old document either being extremely freaked out at Nicolas or being a raving lunatic. The halves of this movie are basically two different things. The acting by the child actors is surprisingly better than the adults in the movie. I’m not sure if I should be glad. The end can be taken as either a beautiful symbolic conclusion or a complete failure after being forced to go through so much frustration. I give it 2/5 stars for the idea alone, but for some reason I recommend seeing it. The originality is worth the torture.
-Mr. White minutes with their loved ones. We enjoyed this time with our families. But, we have to leave on an early Friday morning with loved ones watching as the bus pulls away on our journey to Camp Atterbury, Indiana. The bus takes several hours but arrives at the later portion of the day. The unit is pretty tired and after a couple of briefings goes to bed for the night. The barracks that we live in are not that bad, besides some chipping paint and leaky pipes in the bathroom the arrangement is fairly reasonable. We must walk everywhere and the walk to the chow hall is the worst at over half a kilometer away, if not farther. The food is decent, and if you desire, there are some other places to eat. If you want to pay there is a snack place and a subway. Our first few days we spend checking paperwork and medical issues to make sure we are healthy. Once the paperwork is done, we start getting our new equipment, our body armor, new ACU’s and boots. We also receive orders, newer weapons and computers to take with us. We start more field training; mostly training on the same things we have had the previous two months. Our unit does well and we finish faster Continued on Page 5
The Weekly Update Record Goes Hi-Tech
WEDNESDAY
We here at the Record would like to inform you all that we have gone Hi-Tech. We have a new website. You all have got to check this out. It’s simply incredible. You can now view all of our issues in brilliant color on PDF formatting. Here’s the website. http://www.stlprioryschool.org/ i n d e x . p h p ? option=com_content&view=category&
With all proceeds going to urbanFUTURE, a charity dedicated to helping urban kids see and believe in their possibilities, Charlie, Frank, and Mitch reached out to the Priory community for assistance which came in multiple forms: Mrs. Willibrand and the form moms provided the refreshments and helped spread the word; Luc Bettaieb made the Rebel Rock ’09 official logo; Brother Sixtus, Mrs. Raley, Mrs. Schaefer, and the play production crew helped with construction, lighting, and sound; Dan Pasque and his band provided invaluable expertise and sound equipment; STUCO provided much needed assistance and equipment; and many others aided in the organization and presentation of what turned out to be an incredible night. And as a testament to Priory’s wealth of talented students, the musicians came in droves. A total of 11 bands made their mark on Priory history and performed. Beginning at 6 PM with a pre-show, the crowd reached its highest volume by 8 PM. The sound and lights were so fantastic you would not believe it was the Kevin Kline Theatre. Hopefully the youngsters who learned under these crew chiefs can duplicate this great effort and continue this great idea to help out a wonderful charity. The theatre
WEDNESDAY
layout=blog&id=53&Itemid=272 hope you enjoy and continue to write!!!
•
Wednesday 4/08 We
Thursday 4/09
• EASTER BREAK!
Rebel Rock ’09: An Historic Event Rebel Rock ’09 event organizers Charlie Friedman, Frank Van Bree and Mitch Van Bree blazed a new trail for Priory on April 4th, 2009. The Battle of the Bands was a project few thought could be pulled off. With a month remaining the doubters seemed right. That did not discourage Charlie Friedman. Reaching out to Mark Havel to put together a ridiculously awesome light show. And, with Dan Pasque’s, the sound was as good as a Rolling Stones concert. Charlie worked tirelessly with Mr. Frank Van Bree for multiple months to build a lineup and get sponsors behind the project. Best Buy and Eureka Music signed up, along with Shockcity Studios, and provided the event with much needed equipment, prizes, and assistance.
Calendar
~Jim Havel, ’09
filled with people, many moshing it up in front of the stage. The lights were sensational and each band truly had incredible performances. Twelve bands including showed their talent on stage and in their names: Penguins in My Pocket, Father Paul and the Delters, The Dharma Bums, Out of Time, General Rick and the Huguenots, Kevin and the Detonators, The Blacklight Project, Finlay Fields, Skyscrapers Anonymous, and That 1 Band. The Blacklight Project, Paul Rhodes’ band, thrashed the best according to the judges (Mr. Kilcullen, Mr. Marting, Ms. Riefle, Mr. Schake, and Father Michael) and took home the grand prize of $300 and 20 hours of studio time! And their encore performance sure threw out any doubts of their worthiness to the Rebel Rock throne. If you were not there to see Paul Rhodes shred his guitar on the speaker stand, you truly missed an amazing moment in Rebel Rock history. Bloody Digit, the teacher band headed by vocalist/guitarist Mr. Bussen, with Brother Maximilian on trumpet, Ms. Meyer on piano/vocals and Mrs. Sams on vocals, performed so fantastically that I hope you all will be able to see them have a reunion on Field Day! A special thanks goes out to all the bands that participated and to all those who helped make the event, which raised over $2000 for urbanFUTURE, a success. The organization for next year’s Battle of the Bands has already begun and looks to be an even bigger, louder, and more rockin’ event. Good luck, and we hope to see you all there for Rebel Rock ’10. *Announcement: Official Rebel Rock ’09 Tshirts are still available and are now $10. They are good-looking shirts, and all the proceeds go directly to urbanFUTURE, so please support the cause and buy a shirt.
Friday 4/10 Good Friday
•
Saturday 4/11
EASTER • Remember to go to Mass.
Monday 4/13 • Last Day of Easter Break • Jim and Mark Havel’s Birthday!
Tuesday 4/14 • Welcome back
MLB Power Rankings 1. Yankees 2. Rays 3. Red Sox 4. Phillies 5. Cubs 6. Mets 7. Indians 8. Angels 9. Dodgers 10. White Sox 11. Twins 12. Cardinals 13. Diamondbacks 14. Brewers 15. Astros 16. Braves 17. Tigers 18. Blue Jays 19. Giants 20. Marlins 21. Athletics 22. Rangers 23. Royals 24. Reds 25. Orioles 26. Rockies 27. Pirates 28. Nationals 29. Mariners 30. Padres
Priory Sports Weekly Tennis Update The tennis season is off to a promising start with two quick victories in the first week of matches. Priory beat Ladue 5-2 and Desmet 4-3. While the Ladue match was no problem for the Rebels, or Kestrels as we are known in tennis, Desmet was a different story. Matt Menendez and
~Kenny Capps, ’09 Jack Schmerold, the third doubles team, were the deciding factor, and won in a tie-breaker in the third set bringing about Priory’s fourth win over Desmet in thirty years. On Tuesday, the Rebels defeated Westminster 5-2.
Creatine Works? When it comes to creatine, there is a lot of confusion out there. The purpose of this article is to try to clear up some of the confusion and to correct the myths that many students and their parents have about this supplement. For those who aren’t at all familiar with creatine, it is a dietary supplement that has become very popular in the last decade or so, especially for serious athletes. It comes in powder form, to be mixed with water or other liquid, and it also comes now in a pill form that you can swallow. What is creatine and how does it work? According to nationally known fitness expert Clarence Bass, who has written more than a dozen books on weightlifting and nutrition, creatine “is an amino acid found primarily in the skeletal muscles. The human body gets most of its supply from meat and fish in the diet.” Many of the people who fear creatine are the very same people who, probably unknowingly, eat creatine in less concentrated forms in their everyday diet! Dr. Paul Donohue, a Harvard Medical School doctor who writes a nationally syndicated health column that appears in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, recently answered a question in his column from a grandparent who was concerned about his young grandson’s use of creatine. Here is what Dr. Donohue said in response to the concerned grandparent: “Athletes taking anything with an unfamiliar name makes parents and grandparents shudder. They wonder if the athletes are taking something that imperils their health or gets them in trouble with the law. Creatine does neither. IT IS NOT A DRUG. IT IS NOT A STEROID. IT IS NOT A BANNED SUBSTANCE. It’s the product of amino acids, just like proteins are the products of amino acids. It’s found naturally in muscle cells and in meat. It should be considered a supplement, like a protein or amino acid supplement.” The way that creatine works to help make your muscles stronger is that it delays the production of lactic acid when you work out. Lactic acid causes the “burn” when you work out and eventually causes you to stop a set of repetitions because of the pain of
Frisbee Update The Jeromans have always been a strong team and this year is no different. After a strong turnout, showing their full force, The Jeromans shut out Francis Howell Central 15-0 on Sunday March 29th. Then on Sunday April 5th, the Jeromans traveled to Vashon. The team did not have as strong of a turnout as last time, with only four substitutes, and were missing some of their key players. However, with senior Dan Noyes at the helm, the Jeromans swiftly dealt out some points against the quick and persistent Vashon players. A very strong crosswind was a factor during the game. The wind changed directions a few times and
~Matt Keating, ’11
the lactic-acid buildup. Because creatine helps to delay the lactic-acid buildup, it enables your muscles “to continue working with less pain and fatigue,” according to Clarence Bass. Dr. Donohue reports in his column that creatine “is a source of energy for muscles. . . . Most [studies] have demonstrated that it builds muscle strength and size by allowing athletes to endure more high-intensity, short-duration exercise.” Clarence Bass comes to the same conclusion in his web column on creatine: “The bottom line is that more creatine in your muscles allows them to contract harder and longer, especially in activities involving short bursts of explosive energy, such as weightlifting, bodybuilding and sprinting..” It is important to note that unlike steroids or human growth hormone, creatine is not a banned substance in any of the major professional sports leagues or in the NCAA. Furthermore, the MHSAA does not ban high school athletes from using creatine. What about side effects? Like most nutritional supplements, some users experience some minor side effects, especially if they take more than the recommended dosage. As Dr. Donohue notes, “In high amounts, [creatine] can upset the stomach and might cause diarhhea and stomach cramps.” Clarence Bass reports similar side effects: “I’ve had two minor problems, however, which I believe are relatively common: stomach discomfort and muscle cramping. Others have apparently experienced diarhhea, usually when taking more than one teaspoon at a time or otherwise overdosing.” However, both Dr. Donohoue and Clarence Bass are quick to point out that several serious studies on the long-term effects of creatine have been performed and none of these studies has found significant detrimental effects to creatine. As Dr. Donohue notes: “It has been studied in many institutions and by many reputable scientists, and no one, as yet, has found evidence that it harms users.” Clarence Bass quotes the highly respected scientific magazine, The Physician and Sports Medicine, as saying that “no serious side effects have been scientifically verified.”
~Mark Telthorst, ’09 would not subside. The huge gusts of air affected the Jeromans mentally but the team brushed that aside and adapted to the tough factor. During one drive, a Jeroman made a pass towards Vashon’s end zone that seemed destined to land out of bounds. However, Dan “Danimal” Noyes flew threw the air, fully stretched, and managed to snatch the frisbee. Despite the strong crosswind, the team was able to outplay Vashon and come out with a victory. The final score was 13-4. The Jeromans’ record stands at 4-0. The next game will be at SLUH on Sunday April, 19 at 2:00 pm central time.
The Record Weekly FIrst Entry Cont. ~Mr. White WEDNESDAY
~ AP News
The admissions office of the University of California at San Diego accidentally e-mailed letters of congratulation and welcome to its entire undergraduate applicant pool, including 28,000 students who had been rejected earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times reported. Campus officials blamed the mistake on an “administrative error” that involved selecting the wrong database of recipients.
than most units. We were blessed with good weather most nights while in the field. Once we completed our training, we received an unexpected treat! We were treated to a four-day pass. Many soldiers used this time to explore Indianapolis, others traveled around Camp Atterbury. Many, like myself, have rented vehicles to return home and see our families. Most of our trips are bittersweet. We have four days to be with our families. It truly is a gift to see them, but we all know this will be the last time we see our families for several months. Four days pass like it was four hours… truly time flies. We return to Camp Atterbury knowing that we are done training and we must wait for a flight. We don’t know when but w e know it will be soon.
The letters congratulated the students on their admission to the university and invited them to attend an event for admitted students.
Mastodon: Crack The Skye With Crack The Skye, Atlanta-based heavy metal band Mastodon rises to prominence in the American heavy metal scene. Surely, when Hall of Fame legend Metallicaʼs reign over hardcore music has ended, there will be Mastodon. Although their delivery of metal has changed since their previous releases, here blending with melodic, banjo-centered hard rock, Mastodon is still hailed by critics as the next metal king of music, as they were since their beginnings. As is the tradition with their previous albums, Skye is a concept-album combining the element ether, or air, with the art aesthetics of Tsarist Russia. Crack The Skye is a thrashing, easy-to-listen collection of songs. “Oblivion”, the opener, begins with a sludgy, progressive intro, until it breaks into a quicker paced beat. Drummer Brann Dailor also debuts on vocals, singing the verses. “Divinations”, the albumʼs lead single, is an even faster-paced, more upbeat anthem, beginning with lead guitarist and singer Bret Hinds on banjo an breaking into shrill screams. Tracks like “Quintessence” and even “Ghost Of Karelia” exhibit the new direction that the metal badasses have taken. They aim for a more aerodynamic, buoyant and spacious sound. Mastodon succeeds in that respect. Often tinkering around with keyboards and acoustic guitars, the band still manages to incorporate the heavy metal influence found in its preceding albums, not breaking stride or losing their metal status. “Crack The Skye”, the albumʼs title track, features Neurosis guitarist Scott Kelly on vocals. “Crack The Skye” is also driven in a sequence. The new album features fewer tracks (seven) than seen on any one of their predecessors. Such examples are “The Czar” (divided into four parts, much similar to
Bizarre News
~ Luke Slabaugh, ’11
the rock opera featured on Green Dayʼs American Idiot) and “The Last Baron”, clocking in at 10:54 and 13:01, respectively. “The Czar” starts off a weary, droning ballad, with Hindsʼ piercing vocals “Donʼt stay, run away...”. Afterwards it is almost always driven by powerful riffs, until winding back to the way the song started towards the end. “The Last Baron” drones for about its first two minutes, then ultimately breaks into a trash anthem: like a cross between “Oblivion” and Remission opener, “Crusher Destroyer”. There is more depth behind it than a recounting of Rasputin (as demonstrated in “The Czar”). The albumʼs title is also meant as an homage to the sister of the renowned drummer, Brann Dailor. In an interview with MTV, Dailor said: “My sister passed away when I was a teenager and it was awful, and there's no better way to pay tribute to a lost loved one than having an opportunity to be in a group with my friends and we make art together. Her name was Skye, so Crack the Skye means a lot of different things. For me personally, it means the moment of being told you lost someone dear to you, [that moment] is enough to crack the sky.” “Oblivion” also references to her suicide. Such a reference is hinted with the lyrics “Lost love/ bright eyes fading/faster than stars falling/how can I tell you that I failed?” I would recommend the first four tracks for download, although the album is best enjoyed as a whole. It will shape the view of heavy metal as we know it.
“We recognized the incredible pain receiving this false encouragement caused. It was not our intent,” said Mae Brown, the campus’s admissions director. Ms. Brown said she had been answering e-mail from disappointed students and parents. Two hours after the first e-mail was sent an apology e-mail was sent to the freshmen applicants for the mistake.
Versace, the renowned fashion house, is to create the world’s first refrigerated beach so that hotel guests can walk comfortably across the sand on scorching days. The beach will be next to the the new Palazzo Versace hotel which is being built in Dubai where summer temperatures average 40C and can reach 50C. The beach will have a network of pipes beneath the sand containing a coolant that will absorb heat from the surface. The swimming pool will be refrigerated and there are also proposals to install giant blowers to waft a gentle breeze over the beach.
Puzzles Weekly Crossword Puzzle
Sudoku (average)
Sudoku (hard)
Cryptogram
The Record Moderator: Mrs. Barbara Sams The Record Editors: Jim Havel & Charlie Freidman Assistant Editors: Patrick Mulvihill & Sean Lamb Layout Editor: Chad Huber