Issue 6 by The Harbinger

theharbinger » » »

NEWS: Sisters killed in car accident » PAGE 12-13

FEATURES: KC's hip hop scene gains popularity »PAGE 15

ISSUE SIX nov. 12, 2007 shawnee mission east prairie village, ks

SPORTS: Powderpuff suits up for safety » PAGE 22

Infectious

INVASION Staph infections increase, raising hygiene awareness among students

» sylviashank

t looked like a spider bite. Sophomore Alexa Schneiders wasn’t concerned until the spot on her left calf got bigger and spots began appearing on her arms, stomach and face. She went to see a doctor who diagnosed her with a staph infection and prescribed her two antibiotics. She felt sick, itchy, and once the spots cleared up, she was left with scarring, which she thinks will be permanent. According to a recent CDC (Center for Disease Control) study, the staph infection resulted in an estimated 94,000 cases and 19,000 deaths in 2005. Since the report was released three weeks ago, there’s been an increase in awareness of the infection, also known as MRSA. Nancy Tousz of the Johnson County Health Department has noticed the increase. “We’ve had a lot of calls from schools and individuals after the CDC report,” she said. The infection received more attention when Shawnee Mission School District reported infections in eleven of its schools, including East. Christine Pearson of the CDC says that staph is a bacteria commonly carried by healthy people. The bacteria can live harmlessly on many skin surfaces, especially around the nose, mouth, genitals, and anus. But if the skin is punctured or broken for any reason, staph bacteria can enter the wound and potentially cause an infection, called MRSA or staph. Generally, she said, it causes no harm, but when a person’s immune system is weak, it can cause minor skin infections, such as pimples or boils. More serious cases can result in pneumonia, or dangerous infections of surgical wounds, and the blood stream. “Most infections are fairly minor,” Pearson said. “If it’s a skin infection, it’s basically drained and then can be treated with antibiotics.” Tousz describes the signs of MRSA: boils, sores, or rashes that do not heal. If a person shows these signs, Tousz recommends they see their doctor. Schneiders visited her doctor once her rash had spread to her face. She didn’t want to come to school, with red spots were on her neck, cheeks and forehead. “I was like, ‘Mom, please don’t make me go,’ and when I did go to school people asked me if I got beat she said.

» story continued on page 2

Superbug

NEWS

Staph infections spread to eight area schools

ished with staph, but instead, for the second time, she went to the doctor and received more antibiotics. “It was exactly the same the second time, but a lot milder,” Klugman said. East currently has no reports of the more dangerous antibiotic-resistant type of MRSA, although some students are having reoccurring infections, potentially due to a weakening resistance to the antibiotics. Schneiders doesn’t know why her infection came back, but Pearson said a weakened immune system – due to stress or poor health – might reproduce the infection. One concern has sprung up regarding bathroom hygiene because restrooms are frequented by so many students. Senior Rachel Clarke worries sharing toilet seats and touching stall doors will generate more infections. “You have no idea who sat on the toilet before you,” Clarke said. “And to think that the person who sat there might have staph makes it worse.” As a result, she doesn’t use school restrooms, opting to wait until she gets home to go to the bathroom. It’s unlikely Klugman spread staph through the school bathrooms. “I don’t usually go to the bathroom at school, and I don’t touch the seat when I do,” she said. Other students are changing behaviors. “I wash my hands more and use a lot of hand sanitizer,” junior Grace Haun said. “I want to avoid getting infected.” According to Swift, the district created new guidelines for cleanliness as a result of the staph outbreak. Custodians are following the suggestions by taking extra sanitation precautions. “We now spray all the desks, doorknobs and light switches with a disinfectant spray,” custodian Kenneth Johnson said. In the meantime, Swift urges students to cover up wounds and remain clean. “It’s important to just be aware and wash your hands well,” she said.

PREVENTION

1.) LIVES ON SKIN These bacteria can live harmlessly on many skin surfaces, especially around the nose, mouth, genitals, and anus.

• Wash hands • Ask all hospital staff to wash their hands before touching you, every time

2.) ENTRANCE When the skin is punctured or broken for any reason, staph bacteria can enter the wound and cause an infection.

• Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, razors, clothing and athletic equipment • Keep wounds covered, as the pus from infected sores often contain MRSA • Sanitize linens in hot water with added bleach and dry them in a hot dryer • Have a small bottle of hand sanitizer containing at least 62 percent alcohol for times when you don’t have access to soap and water 2007

BRIEFS

» continuedfrompageone

But because MRSA is spread by skin-to-skin contact, Schneiders is allowed to attend school if she’s careful not to touch others with the infected area. Now that the virus has entered schools, Pearson says it’s likely to spread rapidly among students. “With sharing desks, doorknobs and computer keyboards, schools are the perfect place to spread a disease,” she said. To counter this effect, the school has posted signs in the restrooms with messages like “Wash Your Hands” or with prevention tips from the CDC Web site that include cleaning cuts, washing hands with soap and water and refraining from sharing personal items such as towels and razors. The district determines whether a school will be shut down due to staph. Principal Dr. Susan Swift says it would take an outbreak of large proportion to shut down the school, but gives no specific number for how much that would be. “If we were to have several cases, we might have to look at closing the school,” Swift said. Sunrise Elementary, a school in the metro area, had to be shut down and disinfected last Monday due to an outbreak of drug-resistant staph. Three weeks ago, sophomore Megan Klugman developed staph on her buttocks. She isn’t sure how she got it but doctors suggested it was a by-product of mono. “At first everybody kept saying I was going to die,” she said. “But I talked to the nurse and she said as long as I take my medicine, I’ll be fine.” Within a week of seeing a doctor and starting medication, the infection had cleared except for minor scar tissue in the area. She didn’t miss any school due to staph. However she dealt with physical discomfort. “It hurt to walk and I couldn’t really wear jeans because it put pressure on it,” she said. “It was uncomfortable just to sit in school.” Schneiders experienced discomfort, because the spots were itchy and painful. Two weeks ago, she woke up with new spots on her arms – a second infection. She’d thought she was fin-

12 nov.

news

How it spreads

3.) INVASION

Can Drive The can drive is still under way. Please leave cans in the front hall on the correct grade’s table. All cans will be donated to the Johnson County Christmas Bureau, which helps low-income families around the holiday season.

Fiesta For East The fifth annual Fiesta for East is Nov. 17 from 7-11 p.m. at Meadowbrook Country Club, 9101 Nall. The East Blue Knights and Blue Notes will be there to perform. Attire is casual/jeans.

Early Dismissal There will be an early dismissal Thursday. School gets out at 1:40 p.m.

College Connection The second College Connection forum of the year is Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. in the library. The topic is “College Applications: What are Colleges Looking For?” Admission officers will describe how they review college applications and offer advice on what they are looking for.

Border’s Proceeds For any purchases made at area Borders Book Stores Nov. 16-18, 15 percent of the purchases will be donated to the East library.

No School There will be no school Nov. 21, 22 or 23 due to Thanksgiving break.

Files motioned in Horton case Nine motions filed last week by public defenders of John Henry Horton, accused in the disappearance and murder of Lizabeth Wilson, are to be heard Nov. 28. Wilson disappeared while walking across the East parking lot in 1974, and in 2004 Horton was convicted of first-degree murder. However, last February his conviction was overturned. The motions involve the requests by Horton’s attorneys to bar testimony from accident reconstruction experts who would lay out the scenario of how Wilson was kidnapped and murdered.

Musical Auditions

Redness, warmth, swelling and pain appear.

Auditions for the musical “Guys and Dolls” are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Sign up is on the board by the little theater.

Remembering 4.) MORPHING AND MUTATION Staph skin infections show up as: folliculitis, furuncle, carbuncle, impetigo, and cellulitis.

Sophomore Desirae and senior Terra Lopez died in a car accident Oct. 31., two months after their sister Marissa’s disappearance.

Story on pages 12-13 » alexanderson

Source: Mayo Clinic

NEWS

SeniorShowdown

New district gameshow helps bridge the generation gap » michaelcray North and Mission Springs Assisted Living in Mission, South and Freedom Pointe Assisted Living, West and Sunrise of Lenexa and Northwest paired with Garden Villas of Lenexa. Bryant, senior Jeff Bryant and senior Max McBride are three of the volunteer contestants on “Senior Showdown” and are paired with residents from Brighton Gardens of Prairie Village. “Senior Showdown’ is a lot different from “Categories” because you’re just out there to have fun, whereas in categories you try hard to win. Also, it’s really interesting to work with the senior citizens because they can teach you a lot and most of them watched “Categories” at Brighton Gardens so they’re really excited to be on the show,” said Curtis Bryant. According to the district website, the objective of the program is “to provide a unique setting for an intergenerational learning opportunity,” in which senior citizens and senior high school students interact and share knowledge and experience while participating in a spirited game show format competition. “Working with the kids is very pleasant. We call them kids, but they are really young men and women,” said 97-year-old Mary Gruber, a contestant on the show. “We learn a lot from them and they surprise us with their knowledge.” Executive producer Leigh Anne Neal attended the first taping of the first two episodes. “It was difficult to determine who was having more fun: the residents or the students,” said Neal. “The show not only provides an educational benefit, but also a great new program to be enjoyed by Johnson County cable viewers and viewers of the district’s Internet pro-

Meet the (senior) citizens Ed Walaszek Age: 81 Favorite food: raw tuna Favorite type of music: classical

» rachelenglish

Senior Curtis Bryant thought he would have to carry the team to victory when he saw 83-year-old Ed Walaszek roll into the studio on his Model 320 Rascal Power Scooter. But when Walaszek buzzed in and correctly answered “Cumberland Gap” to the question, “What was Lonnie Donegan’s Skiffle Group’s first number one hit?” Bryant was shocked. “I didn’t think the Brighton Gardens people would be that good, but I was very surprised,” Bryant said. A new district-produced cable television program called “Senior Showdown” was kicked off Oct. 16 with the taping of the first two competitions. The new program is closely related to the district’s show, “Categories,” but instead of a head-to-head competition between six high school students, three students from each school are teamed with three senior citizens from each school’s local retirement community. Sam Brewster, who retired in May from teaching and hosting “Categories,” came up with the idea for a senior citizen only “Senior Showdown” this summer while joking about possible quiz show themes. After approaching the district with the proposal to add students to the show, it became official, according to Bryant. The show’s maiden effort has only a few competitions scheduled, but Brewster hopes the district will allow the program to continue. Apart from East, Don’t miss: the four Senior Showdown o t h e r Both Senior Showdown and the quiz show Categories can be seen at teams are Shawnee www.smsd.org/cable.htm. Mission

“I wasn’t sure about an answer, but my teammates backed me up.”

Mary Gruber Age: 97 Favorite food: barbecue Favorite type of music: “The first two tapings I classical just sat there and couldn’t answer anything because my microphone wasn’t on.” gramming.” The show will premier on Time Warner Cable channels 2 and 18 and will be viewable on the district’s website. “I’m kinda sad that I am a senior and it’s my first time on the show, Bryant said. “But I hope they do well in the future.”

No water woes for Shawnee Mission Water crisis in Georgia leads to questions about the security of local water supply BY

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GEORGIA?

» sylviashank

Lake Sidney Lanier, the lake that provides Atlanta, GA with the majority of its drinking water, has almost completely dried up. Last week, scientists at Georgia Water Resources predicted less than a 30 day supply of water remains. Droughts continue to plague the South causing shorelines to recede. Regional droughts are striking the South while the rest of the country remains relatively unaffected. And when Kansas was experiencing severe droughts three years ago, Georgia was having a wet fall.

But the impending water crisis in Georgia leads to questions about the security of Shawnee Mission’s water supply. According to Hank Ernst of the Kansas Department of Water, Kansas is unlikely to run out of water or to be affected by the water crisis in Georgia. He says the Shawnee Mission area has a large backup supply of water as part of a water assurance program. The program includes local reservoirs – Tuttle, Perry and Milford – that supplement water flow and provide resources during droughts. “We’re really fortunate because when

we have droughts, we’re in good shape,” Ernst said. “We have plenty of backup reserves.” Still, Earnst says, the state keeps conservation in mind in its water usage. “To get water in Kansas, you must get a permit and it’s a very selective process,” he said. Georgia’s governor is urging Georgians to restrict water usage out of necessity. Though the Shawnee Mission water supply is secure, the water department still urges Kansans to reduce water waste by eliminating excessively long showers and

The drought has been declared “exceptional,” the most severe drought category. Reservoirs that supply people with drinking water have dropped significantly, and Georgia officials have warned that Lake Lanier, which supplies three million citizens with water, is less than three months from depletion. Source: www.monolake.org

1. Water your lawn only when it ways to needs it. Step on the grass. If it conserve springs back when you life your foot, it doesn’t need water.

water

Saves 750 gallons per month

2. In the shower, don’t waste cold water while waiting for hot water to reach the shower head. Catch that water in a container to use on something that needs watering. Saves 200 gallons per month

3. Keep a bottle of water in the refrigerator instead of running tap water to cool it for drinking.

4. Fix leaky faucets and plumbing joints.

Saves 200 gallons per month

Saves 20 gallons per leak

issue

NEWS

Parking Progress

East administration deals with loss of parking spaces due to construction

overview Because of the upcoming construction on East’s building, parking spots will be in short supply next year.

parking by the

#s’

spaces lost: 450-500 spaces to be added: 148

A word

from

“

Dr. Swift

Parking spaces are something that we definitely are in need of and the city has helped us out so much. We are very appreciative because we wouldn’t be able to afford to carry out this project without their help and support.

”

» rachelmayfield

With the reconstruction of the school next year, some changes are being made to the parking arrangements. Given that East’s parking lot will be losing roughly 450500 parking spaces because of the construction, Prairie Village City Council has been making it a priority to resolve this vehicle issue. Principal Susan Swift has been working with Prairie Village and Director of Public Works, Bob Pryzby about the parking to the school’s lots. They have come to an agreement and will be adding 148 parking spots hopefully before next August. Although more parking spots are being added, space will still be limited due to the reconstruction and accommodating the workers. As a result, the sophomore lot will be designated for the construction workers only. This project is a joint expense in which the school pays half and the city pays half. “Parking spaces are something that we definitely are in need of and the city has helped us out so much,” Swift said. “We are very appreciative because we wouldn’t be able to afford to carry out this project without their help and support.” Dr. Swift is still working with the Principal’s Council and StuCo to try to think of different incentives to get students to carpool more often.

Get involved with your newspaper by checking out the Web site

Nov. 2007

GET MORE LANCER PRIDE

There will be more ways than ever to voice your opinion on topics ranging from politics to the academic issues on the Web site. You can do this by writing a student blog and sending it into harbingeronline@gmail.com, or taking part in our polls that are updated weekly.

“You no longer have to just write a Letter to the Editor. You can post your comments right on the Web site like a blog.”

WWW.SMEHARBINGER.NET

by becoming interactive with a click of a mouse

The newest upcoming interactive feature of our Web site is the ability to comment on articles written. You no longer have to just write a Letter to the Editor, you can post your comments right on the Web site like a blog.

NEWS

SeniorShowdown

Meet the (senior) citizens Ed Walaszek Age: 81 Favorite food: raw tuna Favorite type of music: classical

» rachelenglish

“I wasn’t sure about an answer, but my teammates backed me up.”

No water woes for Shawnee Mission Water crisis in Georgia leads to questions about the security of local water supply BY

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GEORGIA?

» sylviashank

1. Water your lawn only when it ways to needs it. Step on the grass. If it conserve springs back when you life your foot, it doesn’t need water.

water

Saves 750 gallons per month

2. In the shower, don’t waste cold water while waiting for hot water to reach the shower head. Catch that water in a container to use on something that needs watering. Saves 200 gallons per month

3. Keep a bottle of water in the refrigerator instead of running tap water to cool it for drinking.

4. Fix leaky faucets and plumbing joints.

Saves 200 gallons per month

Saves 20 gallons per leak

issue

OPINION

Fútbol’s

new fans Come next fall, soccer will be the leader in fan attendence

anopinionof It was more than two weeks ago when I sat wondering if I should go to the boys’ soccer game. It was late, I had homework and the game was out in the depths of Olathe somewhere. Thankfully, my friend convinced me to go. I had no idea that my decision to go to the soccer game would lead to one of the most » jeffrutherford rewarding experiences of my high school career thus far. It was one of the greatest displays of high school athletics I’ve ever seen, due to the camaraderie between players and fans. The energy of the game was absolutely phenomenal. Fans dressing in Nascar attire and flannel shirts (some actually without shirts). Pieces of yellow paper flying after every opposing foul. Chants from the crowd like: “You let your whole team down!” An atmosphere similar to that of an East-Rockhurst basketball game. If you can think of a football game like that within the past five years I’d like to see some game film. In the past, the soccer program has been in the shadow of the football program, but that’s soon to change. The soccer program produced arguably the most successful team this fall, and by August 2008, soccer will

2007

“We didn’t have a really good football team this year and in soccer the players can always hear you yelling.”

“It’s good because the fans pay attention to the game a lot more and it’s really fast paced.”

» tylerroste

them. With the soccer program’s great improvements, and their ability to draw more and more fans each game and there’s no doubt in my mind that come next fall the soccer program will the talk of the school. It’s built up a great reputation not only throughout the school, but throughout the state as well. They made it to the state semifinals making them one of the top eight teams in the state. Their season was cut short with a loss in the state quarterfinals, and the reaction from the fans after that loss was quite different from the celebration of regional championship victory. One was in celebration of a fantastic win and the other was in sadness over a devastating loss. But one thing was the same. As the players walked toward the student section, it erupted in applause. At that moment I realized, along with the rest of the fans, that guys bowing in front of us had created something great. They’ve gained true fan approval and have helped to create a state contending program. With football declining and the soccer program on the rise, anticipation is already mounting for next season. Soccer will be the sport getting the glory next fall, as it did toward the end this season. Sports fan will learn to embrace the change. They’ll attend the game, and see how great each one is. And with each game support and fandom will grow. And in August of 2008, “soccer will be the new football.”

SENIOR FAN BASEBREAKDOWN Eli Kaldahl Sam Watson

Neal Stark

12 nov.

be the number one fall sport. They finished with a record of 11-8 and were regional champions for the first time in 10 years. The football team, the traditional fan sport, was not so successful, finishing with a 2-7 record and missing a bid in the state playoffs. The soccer team is clearly on the rise with a young coach in Jamie Kelly and 13 out of 22 players returning next year to the varsity lineup. This was Coach Kelly’s first year as the varsity coach and he managed to take the team to the state playoffs, a feat that hadn’t been reached for a decade. The program’s recent accomplishments and promising potential have led to great support from the fans. Soccer has usually has been a sport supported by only true fans. The true fans had some connection to either the players or a pure love for the sport, something that held their interest. But this season it’s turned into a sport for all sports fans. This year, fans at East have learned more and more about the sport. They heard talk in the hall or in the classroom that sparked their interest. These casual discussions among students led to the creation of this new fan-based sport. I’ve already stated that the soccer program had more dedicated fans than that of the football team but it’s yet to take over in pure numbers for one reason. On Friday nights, if you’re student at SME, during the months of September and October you go to the football game. It doesn’t matter whether the team wins or loses, it’s what they rest of your friends are doing, might as well join

“I like how it really grew this year. We started ‘theming’ this year and everyone dressed up on Halloween.”

Emily Anderson “I though it was great that all the seniors went. We could all cheer for the same thing.”

OPINION

A fumble in planning

anopinionof

Uneven district assignments in KSHSAA’s football system short-change worthy teams

» lancervoice

NAME

sept.

tion. For example, there are two districts of four Wichita schools, a district in both central and western Kansas, and four districts of four Kansas City area schools. The two teams with the best records against opponents in their same district qualify for the playoffs. The system at first seems pretty logical. Eight groups of four based on location to limit traveling miles for each team. Nothing any bracketologist couldn’t handle. But the KSHSAA totally blanked on one of the most important questions to consider before grouping each 6A school. Is each district as even as possible? The answer is no. Unfortunately, the Lancers suffered their seventh loss in the last game of the season against Blue Valley North. Their improbable chances of continuing on to the state playoffs were gone. Call it sad, call it unfortunate. I call it karma. Let’s take a look at how East’s football district looked this year. It included Shawnee Mission South, Shawnee Mission North, Blue Valley North, and East. South and East went 2-7 while North went 1-8. Blue Valley North, the district champions, had a record of 3-6. This district is terrible. District champions aren’t supposed to lose two-thirds of their games. And there definitely shouldn’t be any 2-7 teams going to the playoffs. Shawnee Mission West’s district was a bit different than East’s. It consisted of Olathe East and Shawnee Mission Northwest, both 8-1 and state title contenders. It also included 4-5 Blue Valley Northwest and the 5-4 Vikings. Now that’s a district. If you were to take the last place team in it, Blue Valley Northwest, and put it in East’s, they’d be district champions. The four teams in West’s district combined for 25 wins. Furthermore, Olathe East and Shawnee Mission Northwest equaled the win total of East’s district combined eight victories. Kind of self-explanatory, but this Kansas

Divisions

football system isn’t working. There are at least five other teams in Kansas more deserving of a spot in the postseason. Apologies need to go to Shawnee Mission West and Blue Valley Northwest, good teams with West’s East’s respectable records that got district: district: stuck in loaded districts. BVN (3-6)* OE (8-1)* An argument can be SME (2-7) SMNW (8-1) made that there are similar SMS (2-7) SMW (5-4) situations in college football and the NFL. Sure, the SEC SMN (1-8) BVNW (4-5) is better than the Big 12, and *Denotes winner of the division every football fan knows how bad the NFC West is. But no teams in the college The football teams are divided or pro level have the opporbased on the relative location tunity of moving to the playof the schools. There are eight offs over a team that won districts in all of Kansas 6A, with three times as many games. No matter how hard you try, four teams in each. there will always be divisions or conferences that are a little stronger than others. The discrepancy between Kansas’s football districts, though, is way too large. What the KSHSAA should do is focus strictly on win-loss records. At the end of the season, the top four to six teams from each league should advance to the playoffs. For example, East would compete with the other Sunflower League members for one of the playoff spots allotted to the Sunflower League. And by the way, South ended up losing to Northwest 41-9 and Blue Valley North lost to Olathe East 35-10. I guess that’s what you get when teams that lose a lot go to the postseason freebies for the top ranked squads. At least Shawnee Mission West would have given these victors a test.

by the

numbers

How are districts divided?

E A S T

» michaelstolle

During lunch a couple Fridays ago, one of my friends said that if East’s varsity football team beat Blue Valley North that night, they would qualify for the playoffs. That’s right. Our Lancers, whose record hasn’t » samkovzan been worse in over a decade, could have qualified for the postseason if they had won their final game on Oct. 26. Sure, it was great news at the time. Despite all the problems throughout the season, the football team had a legitimate chance at keeping their season alive. But when my friend proceeded to say that Shawnee Mission West’s season was already finished, I was totally confused. East, with a record of 2-6, was playing for a spot in the playoffs while the 5-3 Vikings had absolutely no chance at the postseason. My initial reaction: All right, one up on those Vikings! But the more I thought about it, the less it made sense. Coaches, players and fans must admit it. The football team didn’t deserve this opportunity. West defeated East 13-0 earlier in the season and ended up winning five games as compared to East’s two. This is a prime example of the terrible flaw in the Kansas High School Athletic Association football system: uneven district assignments. So why was East eligible for a postseason spot and not West? It’s a question that seems so simple, yet requires a significant amount of time to explain in a manner that actually makes sense. So read carefully. The KSHSAA separates the 32 6A high schools in Kansas into eight districts. The district groupings are based on each school’s loca-

SHOULD EAST HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO MAKE IT TO THE PLAYOFFS?

IF EAST HAD MADE THE PLAYOFFS?

WHAT SHOULD KSHSAA DO TO CHANGE THIS?

No. If West was better, they should have made the playoffs.

I would feel a little less bad about it, but I still feel that it would be wrong if we made the playoffs.

They should change the rules to make things on a more even level.

No, because we had a worse record than West, and it doesn’t make sense that the better team didn’t have a chance.

Probably not, East had a worse record than other teams, therefore they shouldn’t be able to make the playoffs.

The rules should be made so that the choice for the playoffs is based on record and strength of schedule.

Kylie Morrow 10

If East did better than the other teams in their district, then they should have made the playoffs.

It would be different, because I would feel pride for our team, but it would still be unfair for the teams with the better records.

The divisions should be a lot more fair, because it doesn’t make sense that there are teams that were better.

William Bleakley 9

They shouldn’t have even made it close to the playoffs because there were other teams out there that were better.

My opinion probably wouldn’t change if they had made the playoffs.

They should rearrange the divisions so that they are on a more even level.

Dalton Ballard 12 Jonathan Stepp 11

he t ’s t i t a h t y a s o t ior n e s e n o s t p m o r np o i t a r t s n o m e d e f Pro-li

OPINION

choice that they should be able to make without the government interfering. I started researching I have made my decision to be pro choice independent by talking to friends about their stance on of my grandmother’s influence and religion. After making abortion and talked with both my parents. I found my decision I have had numerous discussions with my through talking and researching that I was pro choice. grandmother. She tells me why she thinks abortions are Looking around the anopinionof I believe that a woman should always get choices when so wrong and I tell her why her opinion is wrong in my hallways one day I noticed a it comes to her body, especially with a decision on opinion, and I tell her I feel that all people should be able couple of students walking something like a child that will affect a woman for the to make their own choices and decisions. It’s important around with red duct tape rest of her life. for people not to rely on the government or their families across their mouth with the I do not believe that abortions are good or that a to tell them what is a right or wrong choice to make. word “life” written in black woman should get them time and time again for no To me, pro life is saying you do not agree with sharpie. These students were reason, but I do believe that there abortion, and since you don’t agree with it and think it is creating a day of silence and bad, no one should be able to control their when you own bodies. Being pro life is a person’s asked what opinion and that is fine. If you don’t believe they were in abortion then my solution would be don’t doing they get one, but don’t try to take the decision gave you a » katiefreyder away from other women. red piece of I think that abortions vary in all sorts paper that of experiences and cases, and making a was about abortion. These people that I Electric brain waves decision for every woman in the United saw walking around the halls reminded 99 percent of muscles are can be detected after present after 44 days States without talking, understanding me my background in a Catholic family 40 days or knowing what the other women are and how I came to be pro choice. doing or why they are getting an abortion Being a woman growing up with is unfair. You cannot please all of our strict Catholic grandparents and country’s population all the time, so father on one side and Episcopalian why would we base something as big as grandparents and mother that are very abortion off of a side’s choice that only independent with their beliefs on the pleases certain people when we can other side, I have had to form my own compromise by being pro choice and keep stance on political issues, particularly our opinions on abortion and let everyone the abortion debate, because I do not After three weeks the After eight weeks all After 40 days reflex heart begins to beat have a choice like they should have? It has agree with basing my thoughts off of organs are formed movements begin been and should always be a choice that a what priests or my grandmother tells woman is able to make for herself. me they believe. I believe in creating my After 27 days the lungs I feel confident that I made my own own thoughts and opinions off of my begin to form decision despite my family’s strong personal thoughts and feelings. » renli source: www.abortionfacts.com religious influence. I feel that abortion My very Catholic grandmother tells should not be decided based on families me how wrong abortion or even the are cases, like when a 13-year-old girl finds out she is or religious beliefs. Rather, it should be decided by a thought of abortion is. She believes that babies are God’s pregnant. She is barely able to take care of herself; how woman’s personal choice. gift to us and believes that you should not have sex is she expected to take care of a child? unless you are married and are planning on starting a I believe if you are pro choice you do not have to family. completely agree with abortion I am surprised that I ever came to be pro choice with yourself. You are just giving a such conservative relatives. But because my mother and woman the grandparents on the other side pushed the idea of me

Milestones in fetal development

VERSUS Do you know where you stand?

researching subjects, I thought I needed to decide for myself.

• • • •

•

History of the debate Abortion is not illegal and is a common practice

Before 1900

Alaska, Hawaii, New York and Washington repeal their abortion bans, 17 states revise their abortion laws

1965

12 nov.

2007

Griswold v. Baird, supreme court strikes down a law prohibiting the use of contraceptives by married couples in Connecticut

abortion is not safe life begins at conception an unborn child is human abortions shouldn’t happen, even in the case of a rape or incest the government shouldn’t fund abortions

Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth, supreme court says parents and spouses don’t need to consent to abortions

1967-1973

Roe v. Wade, supreme court strikes down abortion ban in Texas

• • • • •

abortion is safe the fetus is only a mass of tissue a baby should be born only if it is wanted a woman should control her own body abortions should be kept legal, especially for rape and incest cases

Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Supreme Court strikes down law that said late abortions must be performed at a hospital and girls under 15 need parental consent

1983

1976 1973

VS PRO-CHOICE BE-

PRO-LIFE BELIEFS

1992

1980 Harris vs. McRae, supreme court upholds Hyde ammendment which restricts Medicaid from funding abortions

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Penn. v. Casey, Supreme court upholds Roe v. Wade but prohibits regulations that present an undue burden on women’s constitutional rights

source: www.npr.org/news/specials/roevwade/timeline.html

to Kansas City’s hip-hop scene

FEATURES

Get plugged in

SKATTERMAN & SNUG BRIM

Collaborative rappers who dub themselves “Kansas City’s urban legends,” Skatterman and Snug Brim stay close to home in their lyrics and their views, saying that, “We ain’t buying no Crystal drinks, going to the club hopping out of Bentleys. It ain’t about that. We’re keeping it real urban grounded, down to the normal, to where the average, everyday person is doing what we’re doing. We’re not talking outside of our means. It ain’t no Bentleys on the streets where we from.” Being big contributors in the Kansas City rap scene, Tech N9ne signed the two to his record label after the release of their album “Worth a Million.” The two said that, “We don’t really have a voice right now. We feel like when we’re done we’ll be the voice of the Midwest.”

Soundsgood

The brainchild of Kansas City’s Joe Good and Lawrence’s Miles Bonny, the two emcees came together to produce a sound that is consistently performed throughout the metro area. Joe Good, a friend of Mac Lethal, co-hosts Black Clover Radio with Lethal, a show he dreamed up that features local artists on late Sunday night radio. The debut album from the two has put them on the map, while they still have solo careers of their own.

Mac Lethal

» samlogan

“Gee, Mac…what are we gonna do about this Kansan accent of yours?” That’s what Mac Lethal, an up-andcoming rapper from the suburbs of Kansas City, asked himself on his recently released album “11:11.” He’s not the only one wondering that. Critics across the country are calling Kansas City the fastest growing hip-hop playground in America due to its location on the map that meets the traditional West Coast and East Coast sounds in one place. The problem is, no one wants to leave, keeping their names local. The artists consider themselves true to Kansas City, and the amount of rappers in the metropolitan area continue to grow.

The Pitch’s Best of Kansas City Best Hip-Hop DJ (2007) DJ Ataxic (Bryan Fisk) What the Pitch says: “...Ataxic adheres to the philosophy that clubgoers should pay money at the door to be exposed to new tracks...rather than request the songs played over and over on the radio.” Best Club DJ (2007) DJ Shad What the Pitch says: “He’s a master of that filthy, strange, all-American art form known as Baltimore house...” Best MC (2007) Approach What the Pitch says: “... Approach has reinvented his sound via hard-edged, squelchy electro beats and high-calorie verse that would add 10 pounds to Kanye West’s and Daft Punk’s respective waistlines.”

Dan Weiss of Stylus magazine said of Lethal in his review, “man, this song could be really good if the guy didn’t sound so… white.” Which translates to, “a lack of an East Coast accent.” Rappers like Jay Z, 50 Cent and Notorious B.I.G. have been able to credit their sound to that very attribute, where as rappers from lands of wheat fields and wispy clouds have to trust their vocal cords don’t crack under their “farmtalk.” That “farm-talk,” though it is what’s gotten them where they are today. Imagine 1930s Kansas City: sounds of jazz legends Count Basie and Charlie Parker resonate out of midtown clubs and homes. A time when it was said that although “Jazz was born in New Orleans, it grew up in Kansas City.” The 18th and Vine District was the centerpiece of this culture, and so was the African American community in the surrounding neighborhoods. The city at the Heart of America was booming, anchored by the livestock and railroad industries but jazz was always behind it. Go down there now, though, and Union Station is more a museum than a train depot, and the most you’ll see of downtown is at Arthur Bryant’s. At least

Black Clover Radio is a radio program on 96.5 the Buzz on Sunday nights from 9-10 p.m. It’s hosted by Mac Lethal, who plays the best of alternative and underground hip-hop. Sample playlist from Nov. 4: • Sage Francis - Bridal • Sage Francis - Love Love Love

one thing has stayed the same though — the music. During a time that’s being called “Kansas City’s Renaissance,” the music scene is back- with a twist. It’s evolved into hip-hop, and Kansas City is jumping on the map with rap moguls like Tech N9ne, Heet Mob and Mac Lethal representing the area with new and unique sounds often derived from its roots. Like most things, hip-hop has reached the Midwest from the coasts, fusing together and creating a new life in a new place. Though the Midwest and Kansas City are just now coming on to the hip-hop map, the region has yet to claim itself a traditional powerhouse with the East and West coasts. “How do you change that?” you ask. Mac Lethal gave us his answer in his song “Calm Down Baby” following his initial question concerning his accent. He said: “Well, self, since you’re asking in the third person, we’re gonna keep it! Because it makes us pretty…and unique…and beautiful.” That’s what we do about that Kansan accent of yours.

Black Clover Radio

• Saigon - C’mon Baby • DJ Shadow - Backstage Girl • DJ Shadow - Artifact • Hangar 18 - Baking Soda • Fatlip feat. Chali 2NA - Today’s Your Day • Jurassic 5 - Day at the Races • Mac Lethal - Makeout Bandit • Cannibal Ox - Vein

• A Tribe Called Quest - Oh My God • The Coup - My Favorite Mutiny • Felt - Women Tonight • Edan - The Funky Voltron • Az - Doe or Die • Brother Ali - Chippipe Bun • Chromeo - Needy Girl

A graduate of Shawnee Mission West, Lethal, who is recognized as one of the world’s best freestyle (reciting improvised lyrics) rappers, was named a member of the “Next 100” by Urb Magazine and was featured in the October issue of Rolling Stone. Mac released a new album last month, “11:11,” which featured tracks and lyrics that emphasize his love for his Midwest home of Kansas City.

Tech N9ne

The best-selling emcee and one of the more well known of the Kansas City artists is Tech N9ne. Tech, from KCMO, has been around the rap game long enough to have collaborated with the likes of 2Pac and Jurassic 5 since he started, and even had his single, “the Beast,” featured on EA Sports’ Madden NFL 2005. Tech N9ne’s success opened up the opportunity to create Strange Music Record Label, which has signed local rappers Kutt Calhoun, Skatterman and Snug Brim.

KUTT CALHOUN

A disciple of Kansas City rap kingpin, Tech N9ne, Calhoun has been said by many to be one of the next bright stars in the hip hop world, all it would take is “more exposure and a big video on a Viacom owned network,” according to Steve “Flash” Juon of www.rapreviews.com.

Heet Mob

Hailing from the Swope Park area, Heet Mob, a group that started back in 1993, has fused jazz elements with modern day hiphop to create a sound that is truly unique to Kansas City. Featuring their newest single, “K.C. It Goes Down,” Heet Mob prides itself on being local and keeping it that way.

issue

Go Lancers lAncers laNcers lanCers lancErs lanceRs lancerS

Have you ever wondered what it is like to plunge into a lake of freezing cold water? Or to run in mind numbing weather?? The Special Olympics Kansas dares you to give it a try! If you would like to come out for this polar experience or want more info visit www.ksso.org/plunge.html or contact Luke Schulte at 913.236.9290 913.236.9290

SME

Plunge and Strut

2008

For open lunch, weekend dinners, and game-day food, come to...

Johnny’s

Advertise with the

Harbinger! smeharbinger @gmail.com

Advertise

It is not only an experience you won’t forget, but the money raised is for a good cause: The Polar Bear Plunge and Strut will benefit Special Olympics Kansas’ athletes. Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 2nd; it will be held at Shawnee Mission Park Lake . Come dressed up in costumes with a group of friends or just be yourself when you plunge/strut. The cost to participate is $75 per person and $100 per person to both run and strut. Prizes will be given to the craziest costume, largest plunge, wimpiest splash and others.

with the H

A R B I N G E R

smeharbinger @gmail.com

FEATURES

Hitting Topeka Hard

Youth in Government students work hard for months, to reach the ultimate goal of presenting their bill at the state capital BY

From left to right, President of the Senate, Jordan Hahn, Chief Justice, Garrett Exline, and Governor, Max Gabel. tylerroste

Senior Senate

» ruthstark

On Nov. 18, our state capital will brace itself for the onslaught of 69 East students, as well as students from five to six other high schools. They all have the hope of passing the bill they have spent countless hours crafting. Look out Kathleen Sebilius, Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback, here comes the youth of Kansas; ready and willing to take over your jobs, at least for two days. Youth in Government is an extracurricular program with the intent of showing our nation’s high school students how the government actually functions. “You are basically acting out how the whole bill becomes a law. I never really knew anything about politics and how it worked. Its fun to see first hand,” said senior Hayley Mallen. The vetoing, debating and voting process begins when these young politicians enter the capital buliding in Topeka, but that is not where they began their work. There are plenty of meetings prior to the yearly Topeka trip. The meetings are where students learned how to formulate a bill and what it takes to make it a successful one. Once they have these bills ready

to be presented they are divided into one of five categories: education, transportation, environment, health & welfare, or miscellaneous. They are put under debate by the Governor, senior Max Gabel and his counsel. “We look through them and veto the ones that people just entered so they could come [to Topeka] and then hopefully find some quality ones worth passing on to the State Legislature. Then I just sign off and pass them on,” said Gabel. Gabel has been involved in YIG since sophomore year was elected governor at last year’s convention. He had to prepare a speech and give it the first night in Topeka.. Elections were held he following day. He, along with Jordan Hahn, Nick Smith, Curtis Bryant and Garrett Exline, were elected by their peers for this year. All the elected officials this year are East students. East’s program only continues to gain popularity and strength. With 69 students going on the trip so far, East definitely has power in their numbers. “They get to see the government processes so they can understand it better when they’re older,” said Mr.

Come visit our new location in Leawood!

Home Furnishings Home of Customized Comfort

7930 Lee Blvd. (913) 341-3300 Kelly Stratford & Dave Foster Proprietors Tues thru Sat 10am - 4pm

Custom upholstery, fabrics, wallpaper, accessories & full design service

Elliot, sponsor of YIG. “ When they hear the news and they hear something about the federal government or they hear fillibuster they understand what they’re talking about,” Elliot said. The students will get to use the actual capitol building including the Supreme Courtroom where laws the laws are actually passed when it is in session. While there is a lot of hard work involved in preparation for Topeka and the couple days there are busy ones, there is time set aside for a nice dinner and yes, even an evening of Cosmic Bowling. After all the debates, lunches out in Topeka passing and vetoing on this trip, the best case scenario would be to walk away with some passed bills and with having had some good debates over the controversial bills. Even better would be to have the actual state legislature take it into consideration. This is uncommon, but has happened. “YIG is just a different thing not a lot of people know about. It kind of got me interested in something that i had never really thought about before! It is such a big field,” Mallen said.

Max Gabel Governor

"I make sure everything runs smoothly. I sign the bills that I want to pass."

Curtis Bryant Lt. Governor

"I advise the governor, and if for some reason he couldn't do his job, I'd fill in."

Garrett Exline Chief Justice

"Basically, I decide what's legal and what's not. I have the final say."

Winter Sports are

Starting

issue

Rememberin

12 nov.

Nearly every picture of stack on the kitchen table Terra with the black-and-w white horse. Terra petting “She wanted to be a ve explained. Sophomore Desirae L strutting her stuff. Her sig to twitch back and forth, ev Her face is tough, but the la “They loved posing for was a pro,” Theresa McGraw The pictures are remind smile and Desirae’s never-e were killed in a one-car ac John and brother Johnny L girl that adored horses and the teenage girls who were to their family but also to lo Terra, 18, and Desirae, 1 Wichita on I-35 when Terra a deer, according to her fa Camaro smashed a gua embankment and flipped. impact. *** Desirae loved music an dance. She danced all nigh Rockstar energy drink. Sh nearly any song that came her lungs. She brought he during her typical 45-minu “She was the best d Courtney Kurtzman said. dance anybody.” Terra wasn’t as focused Sure, her voice would jo coasted down Metcalf wit was horses. On her feet f working as a waitress at th Mission, she lived for the m galloping across a field atop “She had told me that’s said. “It was her pleasure t from her busy time.” Sometimes, she even w horse home with her, Joh after telling her that she co yard, only to find the five-fo grass. The rest of her time w and work. After spending would work from 4 p.m. to earn money for the family her work, Terra earned res “Terra had a very goo waitress,” John, who also w “She worked mostly nights her section.” From the other waitresse pez.” It was a play off of h pez.” Sometimes, joked Me was just as slow serving cu Desirae – Desi to her fr at Village Inn, too. She wa all still knew her as John Lo talks of her moving up to c Village Inn was also whe friends, Courtney Kurtzma Hernandez. Not only were spent entire weekends toge house to work at Village In – but the friendships allow genuine. No masks, no pre “Whenever we would c outside work, they would asking if we were ever ap say nope, we’re always tog

NEWS

Remembering

One family wrestles with emotional hardship following death of two daughters

TOP: A photo of sophomore Desirae Lopez, left, and her sister, senior Terra Lopez, rests on a memorial table during the Nov. 7 visitation at Porter Funeral Home. The sisters died on Oct. 31 in a one-car accident while driving home on I-35 from Wichita. ABOVE: The sisters’ grandmother grasps the hand of a female friend for comfort during the Nov. 7 visitation. Family and friends came to Porter Funeral Home to give their condolences to the family. The minister and the sisters’ uncle, Bill Alexander, both spoke.

» hannahbrewer

2007

MOURNERS, including South junior Reyna Hernandez, one of the sisters’ best friends, and father John Lopez, light candles in the sisters’s memory at a Nov. 4 candlelight vigil. Hernandez co-organized the vigil, which took place outside the Lopez’s home. » hannahbrewer

»libbynachman

f senior Terra Lopez in the e is of her with an animal. white dog. Terra hugging her a golden retriever. et,” John Lopez, her father,

Lopez’s photos show her nature long ponytail seems ven in the motionless image. aughter is still in her eyes. r that camera, but Desirae w, her mother, said. ders of Terra’s big, beautiful ending laugh after the sisters ccident on Oct. 31. They are Lopez’s final glimpses of the the girl who loved to dance: always laughing, dedicated oving life. 16, were driving home from a swerved, probably to avoid ather. Her silver Chevrolet ardrail, skidded down an Terra and Desirae died on

nd her feet always wanted to ht with her friends, wired on he danced in the car, singing e on the radio at the top of er stereo into the bathroom ute baths. dancer,” North sophomore . “She could always out-

d on dancing and singing. oin with Desirae’s as they th Johnny, but her passion for close to six hours a day he Village Inn restaurant in moments when she would be p Prince Albert. s how she relaxed,” Theresa time; it was how she relaxed

went so far as to bring the hn said. He’d come home, ouldn’t keep a horse in the oot tall animal trampling the

was consumed with school eight hours at school, Terra o midnight at Village Inn to y. Despite the monotony of spect from her patrons. od clientele at her job as a worked at Village Inn, said. s; everyone wanted to sit in

es came the nickname “Halfher dad’s nickname, “Slowegan, another waitress, she ustomers as her dad was. riends and family – worked as a busser, but the regulars opez’s daughter. There were cashier sometime soon. ere Desirae met her two best an and South junior Reyna the three inseparable – they ether, going from Courtney’s nn back to Desirae’s house wed Desirae and Terra to be etexts. come in here [to Village Inn], always laugh at us, always part,” Courtney said. “We’d gether.”

“

[The family remembers] Terra’s big beautiful smile and Desirae’s neverending laugh... the teenage girls who were always laughing, dedicated to their family, but also to loving life.

”

by Terra’s pounding speakers. When confronted, she’d simply bob her head side-to-side and tell him, “That’s the way I like it.” Other times, they would go for rides together, Johnny chauffeuring the three girls to China Star – Desirae’s favorite – or to work. “It would get annoying, going down the road, three girls singing, people looking at you funny,” Johnny said. “Dad would turn the radio down, they’d sing for two more seconds then stop.” The bond between Terra and Desirae had grown and strengthened with time. After Marissa ran away on Sept. 2, the girls became even closer, according to John. Desirae could rely on Terra for advice, for support, for friendship. “Terra was her mom,” Courtney said. “She’d always be there for Desirae to talk to boys about, her problems, rides if she needed.” *** Terra and Desirae were “the lights of Johnny and John’s lives,” according to Theresa. John would shower them with a dozen roses on their birthdays. Johnny would always be there to play a quick round of video games with Terra or go see a movie with Desirae. The girls’ laughter was ever-present in the family’s yellow ranch-style house. “They actually were the nicest, sweetest, kindest kids you ever knew,” John said. “Hearts of gold.”

donations To donate to the Terra and Desirae Memorial Fund, contact Mission Bank or any affiliated institution. For more information, go to www. themissionbank.com and click “About Us,” then the “Affiliates” link.

The family’s struggle

The weekend of Nov. 3 was supposed to be a small Lopez family reunion. The Lopez kids’ Aunt Tammy was flying in. A small party was arranged. Everyone was excited, especially senior Terra Lopez and sophomore Desirae Lopez, who had never met their aunt. But it wasn’t just Aunt Tammy that flew in. The girls’ mother, Theresa McGraw, flew in from Alaska. Her brother, the girls’ beloved Uncle Billy, made the trip from Long Island, NY. They were there to mourn the deaths of Terra and Desirae, killed Oct. 31 in a one-car accident on I-35. The sisters, 18 and 16, respectively, were driving home from Wichita, where they had been celebrating Halloween with their five-year-old cousin, Jonathan. After the accident, the family continues to wrestle with the pain of Terra and Desirae’s deaths along with their worries over freshman Marissa Lopez, the girls’ sister who ran away Sept. 2. *** A ring of flames glowed in the Lopez family’s driveway and yard the Sunday night after the accident, Nov. 4. Family and friends clutched candles close. The driveway was lined with tealights. This candlelight vigil, organized by North sophomore Courtney Kurtzman and South junior Reyna Hernandez, the sisters’ closest friends, was the first formal commemoration of the Lopez girls. For close to 20 minutes, the onlookers grasping their candles stood silently. There were quiet sobs that broke the silence somewhat, but the only real sound came from near the altar that was set up to honor the girls. Jonathan, the fiveyear-old the girls loved so deeply, kneeled next to John Lopez, the girls’ father. In his small voice, he recited, “As I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…” near the poster reading “In Loving Memory of Terra 1989-2007, Desirae 1991-2007.” The poster leaned against a car, surrounded by pictures of the girls. As the night grew colder and the flames danced closer to the bottoms of the candles, the girls’ mother stepped into the middle with John and Johnny, the girls’ 21-year-old brother, and spoke. She thanked everyone for loving Terra and Desirae and said that she was happy the girls were out of the harm of everyday life. *** The days leading up to the accident were a struggle for John. He was in and out of arguments with Desirae over school. “She didn’t like school,” John said. “I’d tell her to get up, go to school, she’d say, ‘OK,’ get up, get in the shower, I’d go to work, she’d get out of the shower and go watch T.V.” John didn’t know this until a few days before the crash. The school had been trying to call for nearly a month, but the automated dialing had the wrong number. Even Terra didn’t know, though she drove Desirae to school every day. Desirae would go to school, but sit in the bathroom. All day. John took her to talk to assistant principal Steve Loe and counselor Terry Archer. They tried to outline a plan for what Desirae could do: a halfday, two classes, a special program called “A New Beginning.” It was decided that she would re-start school Nov. 1. “She told me on the way home she was not going to [A New Beginning],” John said. So John, angry and frustrated, took away her cell phone and told her that she couldn’t go to Wichita with Terra. A few days later, he changed his mind. “I didn’t want to fight with Desirae anymore, so I let her go to Wichita,” he said. “Only because I didn’t want Terra alone driving.” During their last phone call together, at 5:15 p.m. the night of the accident, John and Desirae made up. I love you, I love you too. I’m sorry,

I’m sorry too. *** The tiniest ray of hope entered John’s mind when he heard the news. Someone knew someone who had spoken to Marissa. On the phone. Heard her voice, knew that she was OK. She was in Houston, she was pregnant, but she was alive and OK. John’s youngest daughter was a freshman at East when she ran away Sept. 2. Since her disappearance, she had made no contact with anyone and the police had few leads to go on. The ray brightened as the day went on. John imagined Marissa back for her sisters’ funeral. He had hoped that news of her sisters’ death would prompt Marissa to call or even return home. He contacted the police and was told he had to wait until the next day for any concrete investigation to be done. Then the emotional rollercoaster of the past two months took another nauseating turn. “There was somebody who wanted attention and said they talked to her but hadn’t,” Prairie Village Police Department detective Brady Sullivan said. The lead was fake. The ray faded. The police were back to chasing breadcrumbs, checking out faint leads in hopes of landing something big. Their latest leads come from tracking Alberta Estrada’s e-mail. Estrada is the man with whom Marissa is believed to have run off. E-mails sent to North Carolina revealed relatives living there that the police are currently investigating. *** John was overwhelmed by the community support he received in the wake of Terra and Desirae’s deaths. East staff recommended Porter Funeral Home, which John praised as “a very good recommendation.” The funeral home helped by charging half-price. The coffee shop proceeds helped with funeral arrangements. Village Inn set up the Terra and Desirae Memorial Fund at Mission Bank. “I’ve gotten cards and letters, countless people dropping off money at Village Inn,” John said. “It’s kind of crazy how grouchy customers can be at Village Inn but they all come together.” *** Aerosmith’s “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” played from the mix CD that was in Desirae’s beloved stereo at the Nov. 7 visitation. The stereo sat on her side of the memorial table. On Terra’s side lay her cowboy hat and a stuffed horse. A picture of her with Prince Albert, the white horse she loved to ride, stood on a nearby table. John greeted each mourner with a smile, only crying when the eulogies were given. The minister spoke first, talking about Terra’s horses and her aspirations to become a vet, Desirae’s love of dancing and 45-minute baths. Bill Alexander, their uncle from New York, told about an afternoon gardening at his house in the summer of 2006, when he forced Desirae, after a relaxing bath, to join in the gardening work. The exchange was a humorous one, a conversation that had made the family laugh when he first told it the Saturday after the girls’ death. The visitation was held with only pictures of the girls; due to their injuries, the coroner had advised John and Theresa against seeing them. The girls will be cremated and buried together underneath a double tombstone. The family is still struggling to understand the sisters’ deaths, struggling with learning how to deal, struggling with the pain of retelling the story of their deaths 10 times a day. “One of the hardest things about it is that our family has never really dealt with something like this death, for someone to pass away like this,” Johnny said. “Waking up every morning and not knowing if it happened…that and not knowing what life is going to be like. The best thing is we have a lot of pictures and a lot of memories.”

NEWS

ng the sisters

Terra would join the pack sometimes, becoming another “hermana,” or sister, but usually, she was working. She wouldn’t always be along when Desirae, Courtney and Reyna would troop over to the Merriam Cinemark, then grab a plate of cheese fries and a couple mocha coffee shakes at Steak and Shake. “We’re never bored, never sad or mad,” Courtney said. “Just nonstop laughing.” Every Wednesday, when Terra was off, they would cruise in Terra’s Camaro to the mall, going back to Village Inn for a quick Strawberry Fizz, then head on to one of their houses. Desirae usually snagged shotgun. “So she could control the radio,” Reyna laughed. *** Terra and Desirae grew up as part of an extraordinarily close family. “After Johnny was born, I wanted him in when I was giving birth,” Theresa said. “I wanted a bond between them and I think it took.” Born in Alaska and living there until 1997, when John and Theresa divorced, the girls did everything with Johnny and freshman sister Marissa. They shared a room with Johnny until Marissa was born and Johnny got his own. They had so much in common with their big brother. They liked the same movies, the same music. Terra loved video games as much as he did. All three of them liked scary movies; Marissa was the only one who didn’t. “There were some things that we didn’t agree on, [though],” Johnny said. “I’d give them crap for it. With Terra and her country music, I’d be like, ‘Are you serious?’” He’d pull into the driveway after work to be greeted

issue

FEATURES

Spanish teacher shares past traveling adventures and other interesting experiences that all reflect on the person she is today...

DESTINATION: UNKNOWN » sylviashank

Spanish teacher Sheryl Chamberlain is an explorer. As a girl, she played in the streets of Mexico one summer and learned Spanish. In college, she often hitchhiked to Colorado. And after graduation, seeking even more adventure, she bought a one-way ticket to Germany and left the country with absolutely no plan, other than to sample the culture. Traveling opened her mind and prepared her for teaching, where she gets to pass off her knowledge of the world and its cultures to her students. ‘It’s really important that they try to understand other cultures,” she said. “We talk about politics and things that are going on.” Until she started teaching 29 years ago, she lived a spontaneous lifestyle. She travels less now, but she still loves to visit foreign countries and plans to start traveling again when she retires. Chamberlain claims she has always been open-minded, but extensive traveling led her to further embrace foreign cultures. “I learned that all cultures have something good in them and that Americans need to listen more,” she said. She found that wherever she went, people knew what was going on in the United States and around the world, but she believes that Americans don’t necessarily know much about other countries. “I’m teaching something that has cultural aspects to it and I’m trying to get students to see cultures outside of their jaded American perspective,” she said. Whenever Spanish-speaking countries are in the news, Chamberlain weaves in her own travels when discussing them in class.

12 nov.

2007

She attended KU for college, often hitchhiking to Colorado on the weekends. She claims her teachers took bets as to whether she’d be back for class each Monday. After college, she took her first major journey, heading off to Waldorf, Germany. She left the United States with $200, a one-way ticket and without her parents’ approval. During her two years there, she taught English and traveled on weekends to European destinations. “My mom is still mad about it,” she said. One weekend, on her way to Vienna, she fell asleep on the train and missed her stop. When the conductor came by and saw her ticket, he furiously pulled the lever to stop the train. “It was like in the movies!” Chamberlain said. After the train screeched to a halt, the conductor left her on an abandoned platform and told her to try to get on a train going in the opposite direction. After about an hour, a train headed to Vienna stopped and allowed her to board. Once she’d returned to the United States, two years older, having explored much of Europe, she began planning her next trip: to Spain. She bought a plane ticket and headed off without much of a plan. Upon landing, she found it more dangerous than she’d expected. “It was a rather frightening place to be in those days,” she said. Camping out on the river with some friends, she lived near a caravan of gypsies. One evening, police accused the gypsies of theft, and asked the culprit to identify himself. When no one stepped forward, the police took everyone – women and children included – and shot them.

days until break

“After that, I decided we had to get out,” Chamberlain said. She had spent a month moving about Spain and camping at night. Her frequent traveling diminished when she began teaching 29 years ago. But she knows when she retires she wants to go abroad again, possibly teaching children English in China. Her travels have opened her mind, but to her, being open minded is an on-going challenge. “It’s a constant effort (to be open-minded),” she said. Teaching allows her to encounter new ideas daily. “I learn as much from the kids as they from me.”

WHERE SHE HAS HITCHHIKED FROM: KC to Tahoe Lawrence to Estes Park KC to New Orleans Frankfurt, Germany to Paris Paris to the Riviera Conventry to Stratford of Avon (both in England)

photos by » taylerphilips

A&E

Jerry Seinfeld’s much discussed animated ‘Bee Movie’ fails to

MAKE a BUZZ BY

» landonmcdonald

The buzz about Jerry Seinfeld’s “Bee Movie” was good, so I signed up to review it. After all, I enjoy the occasional animated comedy. “Ratatouille” and “The Incredibles” rank as two of my favorite films in recent years. When well done, digital movies from studios like Pixar and Dreamworks can be charming, engaging, and even socially insightful. They find that sweet spot between family and adult comedy and entertain you with memorable, fun characters and elaborate, exciting visuals. Besides, I felt like I needed a break from the heavy stuff. After a year full of bloody crime scenes, vampires, Jigsaw, Russian mobsters, and Iraq War allegories, I was ready for some lighthearted fun. Okay, I think I’m ready to see “American Gangster” now. “Bee Movie” was a complete waste of my time and only reinforced my conviction that Jerry Seinfeld is the luckiest guy in Hollywood. First Seinfeld, a middling stand up comedian, got to hang out with his friends in a critically acclaimed TV show about nothing for almost a decade, for which he was paid millions of dollars and won a busload of Emmys. Then, three years ago, Seinfeld took a lunch with movie maestro Steven Spielberg and convinced the Great One to finance a film about bees suing humanity for stealing their honey. Maybe he’s talented after all, as a salesman. “Bee Movie” deals with the exploits of a young bee named Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld in bee form) who’s just graduated from bee college and resents the methodical monotony of hive life. He joins up with a battalion of hotshot flower pollinators to get a taste of the outside world, but he ends up getting lost on his first mission. Trying to find his way through the humans’ gigantic, unfamiliar New York City, Barry meets up with a chirpy florist named Vanessa Bloome (Renee Zellweger) and decides he’s in love with her. Never mind the fact that she’s a human and that her scheming, steroid-crazy boyfriend

TOP GROSSING MOVIES

American Gangster:$46.345 Bee Movie:$39.100 Saw IV:$11.010 Dan in Real Life:$8.125 30 Days of Night:$4.000

Ken (Patrick Warburton, who plays Joe on “Family Guy”) has a bee allergy and has vowed to kill Barry for ruining the couple’s special “yogurt night.” During his strange courtship of Vanessa, Barry stumbles onto the fact that we humans enslave bees and sell their honey to sell for a profit. Outraged by this injustice, Barry takes the human race to court for a legal showdown so unbelievable that Oprah Winfrey plays the judge. What makes “Bee Movie” such a disappointment is that it sorely lacks the loose, anarchic energy and “anything goes” style that made the “Seinfeld” show so appealing to so many people in the 90s. Its jokes feel forced, overwrought, and frantic. Constant puns involving honey, bees, hives, and the like seem cute and creative at first but soon end up feeling tiresome and lazy. The audience in my theater rarely laughed, and when they did, it was never above a chuckle. The voice work also fails to impress. Seinfeld, whose voice is annoying enough when he’s calm, constantly launches into screaming, panicky tirades that had me covering my ears to block out his piercing prepubescent whine. Renee Zellweger, a decent actress in movies like 2002’s hit musical “Chicago” and “Cinderella Man,” also needs to realize her voice sounds better quiet. Same goes for Chris Rock as the dimwitted mosquito Mooseblood. The only vocal standouts include Patrick Warburton as Ken, who earns the movie’s only real laughs, and John Goodman, who seems to be having a ball playing a good ol’ boy defense attorney for humanity. Warburton brilliantly sums up my sentiments about the entire movie when his character bellows, “Will somebody just step on the little creep so we can all go home?” Seinfeld, take note. Next time you ask a man like Steven Spielberg to finance a movie, make sure it’s a good one. May I suggest a biopic of the Soup Nazi? That I’d pay to see.

{

}

(in millions) info courtesy of:movieweb.com

photo courtesy of:www.movieweb.com

starscale

{ } poor {

} fair {

} solid {

} excellent {

} masterpiece Star ratings based on writer’s opinion

issue

[ MIX

BEST ATTITUDE:

senior

volleyball: ELON ZORA What was your attitude during the season? “Going in, I knew I wasn’t going to be the star player. I took it as my job to cheer the girls on. My quote that I would say was “We are up at the next point.” We would all stand up and cheer the team on even if it was a bad point.-Elon Zora

seniors

soccer: DEREK O’GRADY & JEREMY WOLF How did you get the team pumped for the game? “We would get really into our team huddles before a game. One time, before a game, we were in a huddle. I was yelling and going crazy, getting the team pumped up . I ended up with a yellow card before the game even started. I was surprised at first but if anything, it got me more pumped up for the game.” -Derek O’Grady Why do you think the team did so well? “We spent so much time together as a team on and off the field. We just wanted to play well for each other.”- Jeremy Wolf

GIRLS GOLF

MOST TEAM ORIENTED:

VOLLEYBALL

MIXED

ALL.IN.THE. [ the page about...YOU ]

SOCCER

[

HARDEST WORKING:

freshmen

girls golf: KRISTINA & SARAH GENTON How did you make sure you were working hard this season? “I tried my best at every round. I tried really hard to make the team proud and support them. - Kristina Genton How did you make a concious effort to succeed this season? “ I worked hard at practices and tried to to my best. I tried to keep others motivated too.”-Sarah Genton

EAST

seniors

chambers: DANE CALLSTROM & MICHELLE PARSONS How have you contributed to chambers? “It is my second year on chambers so I help the first year members out a lot. I played piano for 12 years and I am good at sight reading so I often help my section out or play when the accompaniest isn’t there.”-Dane Callstrom How do you contribute to chambers? “I am vice president of choir and I try to be a good example. I take it seriously. I work hard and always try to be focused. I don’t want the juniors to think it’s a joke class. We need to work hard together because one of our goals is the be the best choir we can be.” -Michelle Parsons

12 nov.

2007

DECA

seniors LEADING THE TEAM:

DRUMLINE

MOST DEDICATED:

scored 100 percent on category test at competition: JAY JOHNSON scored 98 percent on category test at competition: KELSEY WHITAKER How did you score so high on the test? “I just did what Mercedes told us to do and took the practice tests. I’m hardcore.” -Kelsey Whitaker What did you do to prepare for the test that was most beneficial? “I got extra help in preperation for the tests by working with Mercedes and the practice prepared me for the tests.“ -Jay Johnson

MOST TEAM ORIENTED:

senior

football: MATT BAKER How did you get the team pumped for the game? “A big part of sports is that the best conditioned come out on top. I really focused on pushing people during conditioning. I don’t really plan anything out to say and sometimes I sound stupid but most of the time it is good.“-Matt Baker

senior

drumline: ELI KALDAHL How do you contribute to the drumline? “I write out all the plans: what we play and the choreography. I ask if anyone has any suggestions and enforce the plans. We all work really well together.” -Eli Kaldahl

CHEER&DRILL TEAM

CHAMBERS

MOST DEDICATED:

From single-handedly planning out the drumline’s performances to giving the soccer team a good laugh before a big game, these nominees have been selected by their team or club for an assortment of reasons, but mainly as leaders that have made a difference in the lives of others.

FOOTBALL

SUPERLATIVES

MOST SPIRITED:

senior& junior

drill team: MEG STERCHI cheer: KATIE BARTOW How do you show your spirit and pep? “I am just really silly and I always get really into the dances and have fun with the girls!” -Katie Bartow How do you think your spirit effects others? “I get excited about a lot of things. I try to always keep a possitive attitude. We have a lot of early morning practice and I try to make my possitive attitude rub off on the others.” -Meg Sterchi

Q&A

A&E

a teen boy begins the

with author Chris Crutcher BY

of his last year of life

New book “Deadline” more about how to live than how to grieve BY

»paigecornwell

“Deadline,” a novel by Chris Crutcher, raises the question: what if you only had one year to live...and you knew it? Would you tell your love ones? Go crazy? Drop out of school? Ben Wolf, an 18-year-old high school senior who finds out that he has a fatal blood disease, wants to find the answer. But he chooses to opt out of those three scenarios. He doesn’t tell anyone, not even his parents. His tries to help the local drunk. He decides to stay in school, not caring about graduating, but rather annoying his government teacher. “Deadline” is about an ordinary high school student’s last year alive, and what he wants to do before he goes, how he’d “rather be a flash than a slowly cooling ember.” It’s a book about death, but also a book about life. The book starts out in early August, before Ben has started his senior year. His plan is to focus his senior year on information he can use after graduation and to get out of Trout, Idaho, population: 943. Even though his SAT scores show he is set to be accepted to any college he chooses, he doesn’t want to just coast through his senior year. It’s then that he finds out he’ll be lucky to finish the year. He has a blood disease, his doctor tells him. Without treatment, he has a year to live. With treatment, he might have a little more time. Ben decides on his own to not have the treatment. He decides to not tell anyone. And he decides to turn out for football. He decides to try and make a difference, even if it involves unlikely sources. And every time I start wondering about whether Ben was going to die, something else happens. Suddenly, Ben is really living, affecting people and being affected in ways he never

behind DEADLINE

the story behind “Deadline” may be even more moving than the book itself Deadline is a story about a high school senior who finds out that he has one year to live. But, author Chris Crutcher says, it’s a book about life, not about death. And it’s about learning how to grieve. The premise of the book came from Crutcher’s thoughts about how he could tell a story and make the last year of high school interesting, and thought, what if he wrote about a character

starscale

BOOK REVIEW Deadline by Chris Crutcher HarperCollins $16.99 316 pages

has before. Halfway through I thought that Crutcher had forgotten about the whole blooddisease issue. But then Ben starts to feel the effects. He can’t run as far, some days he doesn’t want to get out of bed. It’s then that he starts grieving for the people he is going to leave behind, and grieving for himself. And that’s the point. At the book-talk, Crutcher told the audience that the book was about how to grieve. At first I thought that this was going to be a book similar to the movies where someone finds out that they have a year to live and then halfway through the year, poof, the person is cured and life goes back to normal. Halfway through this novel I realized “Deadline” wasn’t going to be following that story line. Crutcher is one of the most controversial authors for young adults out there, and his titles are often on banned book lists due to his inclusion of heavy topics including sex, abuse and drugs, topics that book banners believe we shouldn’t be exposed to. I predict “Deadline” will be no exception. The reader encounters parental abuse, drug addiction and incest.

who only had a year to live? And so he started a book about Ben Wolf, a 123-pound senior, aged 18 so he could have adult status. He lives in Trout, Idaho, population 943, a town exactly like the one Crutcher lived in, he says, except with a different name. “I thought, I’ve got to get Ben to the end of the year,” Crutcher said at a presentation at the Kansas City library. “I don’t know how I’m going to get there, but I will.” The stories in Crutcher’s novels often come from stories that he remembers from working at an alternative school in Oakland, California, and at the Department of Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. They are a mix of numerous stories Crutcher remembers. After 100 mixed together, “the truth starts to flow.” Deadline was no exception. “Working at Abuse and Neglect, I learned that the most important thing we do is grieve,” Crutcher said. “I worked with a little girl, and there is no character in Deadline like her, but her grieving essence is in the book.”

{ } poor {

} fair {

But those topics are what make this book so real. In a book with a seemingly implausible plot line (the main character finds out he has exactly a year to live? And doesn’t tell anyone?), the different subplots and the fact that Ben is a self-described “smart-ass” make the fact that he is dealing with such an odd situation seem secondary. And unlike the books where it’s obvious an adult is trying to sound like a teen, using words no one has said for the past ten years, “Deadline” made me assume that Crutcher was hiring some teenager to write for him. I found out at the presentation that Crutcher had worked at an alternative school for teens with problems, where he was exposed to all sorts of situations that teens go through and what they say when they are going through it. Now he isn’t shy in using words that might freak out the people making those banned book lists. But he made a point that I agree with: language doesn’t hurt people. Words hurt people, but language doesn’t. So even if this book ends up on a banned book list and is called “illogical, low quality, a bad example” (according to one Web site calling for the removal of his books from a high school’s curriculum) readers not counting how many cuss words are in it will find a novel about how to reach out to people, how to approach each day like it’s your last. It’s a book that made me laugh (Ben makes a list of all the things he wants to learn before he dies, including if there really is such a thing as Restless Leg Syndrome), it’s a book that made me smile (he helps his football team go to state) and its a book that made me cry (Ben is dying, after all). And as Ben reaches the inevitable point, both he and the reader grieve. But as death nears, they also learn how to live.

Crutcher worked with the five-year-old girl’s family. Her father was abusive, her mother was a drug addict. They weren’t allowed to see their children. “We worked and worked (with the parents), Crutcher said. “When she (the mother) got to six months, she got to see her kids. Soon she was going to get her daughter back. When it was only a few days before the mother would get her daughter back, she called her drug dealer, and said, “come get me.” The car the mother and drug dealer were in went the wrong way up a street. The mother was killed. When the girl found out, she was crushed. When she played with toy cars, she would crash them. “With each car she would crash she would be a different person,” Crutcher said. One day, Crutcher was the substitute for the girl’s normal play therapist. For some reason, the toy cars weren’t there. “I got the center, went to the playroom, and the cars were gone,” Crutcher said. “I had money

} solid {

} excellent {

{

in my pocket so I ran to the drugstore and spent 150 dollars on cars.” But he got an unexpected reaction when he went back and asked the girl if she wanted to play with cars. “She asked, ‘what for?’” Crutcher said. “I said, ‘to crash,’ and she asked, ‘what for?’” Soon the play therapist arrived back, and the girl took her hand and went to draw. She wrote, “I love you mommy on a piece of paper, each letter in a different color. Then the two went outside, the girl got into a swing, and said, “push.” Once the girl got high enough, holding the paper in her hand, she started yelling that she loved her mother. She just let it out, so her mom could hear it, and her mom could see it, “Crutcher said. “This girl had to wrap her imagination around something until she was done grieving.” Crutcher had that five-year-old girl in his head when he was writing about Ben. “Ben Wolf, if he is going to have a decent year, he has to grieve.”

}

»paigecornwell

Chris Crutcher is the author of young adult books including “Stotan”, “Whale Talk” and the newly released novel, “Deadline”, about a teen named Ben Wolf who finds out he has only one year to live. Crutcher answered several questions recently during a presentation at the Kansas City library, where he discussed his life and work. Ben has only one year to live, but is able to do things like play football. Is he actually sick, or is it really that simple? He gets through the football season symptom free, but then he starts having symptoms like fatigue, so he really is sick. When you start writing, do you know the plot? I start with the premise, but its about eight to ten chapters before I know how its going to end. If I know the whole story, my attention span goes. But if you really know the characters, the characters help write it.

You are one of the most challenged writers out there. Have you ever thought about cleaning up the language (in the books)? No. There is a story in Whale Talk by a girl that she wrote when she was five. She was mixed-race, and she had a viciously racist step-father, who would yell out all kinds of words. When she gave me this story, she said if you ever want to use my story, do it. When I sat down, I wasn’t going to back off, because that takes away the viciousness. There’s all this stuff about language, but there’s very few language that hurts people. Names hurt people, but very few words. You used to work as a director at an alternative school and a therapist in the area of child abuse and neglect. How did you move from those jobs to author? I started a book when I was working at the school in Oakland. Someone told me, ‘you could make a living out of this,’ and I started slowing down. Now I do consulting, I keep maybe three or four clients. Did you design the cover? No, but I have the right of refusal. I like the cover, the person is upside down, like his world is upside down.

What is your creative process? Someone once told me if you write a page a day, by the end of the year you will have 365 pages. If there are things that really interest me, I’ll come back to it. I have a tape recorder for if I have new ideas. Part of it is just staying with it.

} masterpiece Star ratings based on writer’s opinion

issue

A&E

A ‘Real Life’ flop BY

» landonmcdonald

Real life never looked so fake. “Dan in Real Life” promises a quirky but honest study of love and family in the spirit of last year’s “Little Miss Sunshine” or Wes Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums.” Unfortunately, it has neither the heart nor the originality to deliver even a pale imitation of these far superior films. Preposterous storylines blatantly stolen from other bad romantic comedies, pretentious, hackneyed dialogue, and incredibly uninspired performances made this one of the most unpleasant cinematic experiences I’ve had in years. Oh yes, and I forgot to mention that the film also includes one of the most irritating, nauseating families this side of Ned Flanders’s. And we’re supposed to find them adorable. I have never walked out of a movie in my life, but if I hadn’t been assigned to review this film, I would have left after the first five minutes and demanded a full refund. I’m not kidding. Dan Burns (Steve Carell), a local advice columnist and recent widower, is a single father struggling to raise three daughters in the suburbs. It doesn’t help things that Dan’s a neurotic control freak who wants desperately to play the roles of both parents in the lives of his girls. He even draws happy faces on their sandwiches and forbids his teenage daughter to date. Taking care of the kids, along with the pressures of trying to get his articles syndicated, keep Dan so preoccupied that he has no time for a love life. That all changes when he meets Marie (Juliette Binoche) at a book store while in Rhode Island for a family reunion. They go out for muffins, whisper sweet nothings for ten excruciating minutes of crappy dialogue you’ll swear you’ve heard before verbatim, and fall in love instantly when Dan tearfully reminisces about his dead first wife. Then the lovebirds sweetly part ways, vowing to call each other. Dan, floating on air, heads back to the family beach house to meet up with the rest of the Burns clan and celebrate his newfound love. Everything’s going great until his younger brother Mitch (Dane Cook) introduces Dan to his new girlfriend. Spoiler alert: it’s Marie. Uh-oh! Dan will

THE A&E PANEL we weigh in on what’s up in entertainment GAGE BRUMMER opinion page editor

12 nov.

2007

Steve Carell’s latest delivers unrealistic story line that makes sitting through it almost impossible

have to choose between the woman of his dreams and the unity of the family he for some reason loves! Interesting side note: I saw a movie two years ago called “The Family Stone” that had the exact same plot, characters and ending. Brother finds out other brother’s new girlfriend is girl he met before and really liked. This all takes place during the annual meeting of an oddball family. “The Family Stone” was a horrible movie, but compared to this, it’s “Citizen Kane.” There’s so much here to hate. Let’s start with Dan’s family. As someone who’s been going to reunions for years, I can tell you that this isn’t how real families act during get-togethers, unless they’re from Stepford or maybe outer space. The Burns family jazzercise together, swoon over Grandma’s old-fashioned flapjacks, relentlessly interrogate newcomers and seem to have some kind of hivemind thing going on as they endlessly encourage Dan with syrupy one-liners and simplistic life lessons.

Even the kids are creepy in their eager beaver enthusiasm. They never seem like a real family, just like a bunch of sideshow circus performers putting on a tired old act. Every time the movie starts to lurch towards some sort of adequacy, they’re there to pull it back. Please don’t blame Steve Carell for this mess. Despite the god-awful “Evan Almighty” and this latest fiasco, I remain convinced that Carell is the future of thoughtful adult comedy, both in the movies and on TV with “The Office.” His “Forty Year Old Virgin” was more than just raunchy slapstick; through him it became a potent parable about the mysteries of romance and the open-ended idea of true love. “Little Miss Sunshine”, with Carell’s suicidal gay Proust scholar Uncle Frank at its heart, is one of the most sharply honest, heartfelt comedies ever made. Carell knows that comedy and tragedy are inexorably linked. His characters tug at your heartstrings while earning your laughs. So no, the problem here isn’t with Carell. He does what he can with the character of Dan, and he works hard with a role no actor or comedian could ever make realistic or funny. The other main actors also struggle with the insufferable script. Comedian Dane Cook, who appeared earlier this year in the clever, underrated thriller “Mr. Brooks,” desperately tries to find life in another unrealized shadow of a character. He ends up just looking uncomfortable. Juliette Binoche, a French actress whose accent is almost as distracting as the movie’s shrill acoustic soundtrack, practically needs subtitles to be understood at times. The movie’s so awful though, it’s almost a plus. It gives the audience time to look around at the beautiful Rhode Island wilderness and seashore where the film was shot. And that’s about the only nice thing I can say about “Dan in Real Life.”

{ }

» www.movieweb.com

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG EVER?

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU ACTUALLY READ?

BEST CONCERT LOCATION IN KC?

iPHONE: YAY OR NAY?

WHAT PHRASE CAN YOU NOT STOP SAYING?

Uptown Theatre

Yay

Fatty Boombalatty

Map of the Problematique The Sex Life of Flowers by Muse

TAYLOR TWIBELL a&e page editor

Big Casino by Jimmy Eat World

Heart of Glass

Verizon Wireless Ampitheater

Yay

OOOPS!

JEFF RUTHERFORD features page editor

Friends by Led Zeppelin

The Wayward Bus

Starlight

Yay

Nahm-seeyin?

MICHAEL CRAY news page editor

Up on a Plane by Slightly Stoopid

In Cold Blood

Verizon Wireless Ampitheater

Yay

I love mozza dip!

starscale

{ } poor {

} fair {

} solid {

} excellent {

} masterpiece Star ratings based on writer’s opinion

A&E

Britney’s (almost) back

New album brings hits that Spears seems too old to be singing

» elizabethmcgranahan

Britney Spears’s latest album has been named “Blackout.” This is quite appropriate considering she has been in and out of rehab for drug and alcohol abuse. The album cover is definitely not the pretty pink pastel background, and the songs are definitely not the lighthearted pop songs we grew up associating Britney Spears with. The cover features a pale and dark haired Spears with the word “BLACKOUT” plastered on the front. How charming. As reluctant as I was, I decided to give Spears a chance and began with “Break the Ice.” This song featured layered vocals enabling her to sing while having a constant moaning sound in the background. Unfortunately, this track was nothing more than an attempt to regain her youth. Spears repeats “Baby I can make you feel hot” throughout the song. I might have had an easier time accepting these lyrics if I were to hear them from a 19-year-old pop artist, but hearing it from a grown woman who has two children and two ex-husbands makes me almost feel uncomfortable. Another song on the album entitled “Freakshow” features the beat of hands clapping throughout the song. There were so many random computer induced noises that I could barely keep up. I got the feeling that Spears was trying to be provocative, but it didn’t work. The song mirrored the Spears that has been portrayed in the tabloids. In the song, Spears claims she is a “Dancin’ table top freak, freaky/ so outside the norm.” Where are her

children while she is dancing on tables? Probably with their father, and now I know why. As the album progressed, I began to warm up to the new Spears. The song “Heaven on Earth” was completely different from the raunchy atmosphere of most of the other tracks. It seemed more suitable for her typical fans, the younger generation. The song refers to love and everything you love in a person. The lyrics were appropriate and much more relatable, despite the fact that they were completely predictable and I feel as though I’ve heard these lyrics before. Overall it was a nice upbeat song, but not very creative. “Hot as Ice” featured a soprano Spears which was a nice change from the rest of the album. But it was a two-sided song, in my opinion. On the first side, it was a fun song and I’m sure girls would love to be singing this with their friends while gossiping about boys. A perfect sleepover song. But on the other hand, throughout the song Spears basically just brags that she is “Cool as fire/ Hot as ice” and claims that she is twice as nice as heaven. Conceited? This song could go both ways for me, and I think it will for you too. Another song, “Ooh Ooh Baby” had great music, and an awesome vibe. The song talks about how love makes you come alive and the lyrics are clean. The song starts off with acoustic guitar and hand clap rhythms. Spears demonstrated some empowering vocals that could be compared to those of Gwen Stefani. It was a great song that I wouldn’t mind listening to on the radio. “Piece of Me” is by far one of my favorites on the album. The computerized sounds created a trippy backbeat. A consistent backbeat sounded as though chains were being slammed on the ground. In this song she opens up about a lot of things. The lyrics refer back to the media’s obsession with her weight and to her ongoing battle with the tabloids. She then reminds the listeners “I’m miss American dream since I was 17.” This was a creative way to address the ongoing Spears scandals.\ Overall this album was better than I expected, but still not a winner. The songs were fine but not the type of thing I wanted to hear from Spears. The silly inappropriate club songs are reserved for those young hot stars. Spears is older and I expected just that from her music. If you can get past the fact that these songs are sung by a grown woman, you’ll get through the album just fine. And for those solid Spears fans: Yes, Spears is back.

{

“Blackout” Track List 1. Gimme More 2. Piece of Me 3. Radar 4. Break the Ice 5. Heaven on Earth 6. Get Naked (I Got a Plan)

»courtesy of “Blackout”

starscale

{ } poor {

} fair {

} solid {

} excellent {

}

7. Freakshow 8. Toy Soldier 9. Hot As Ice 10. Ooh Ooh Baby 11. Perfect Lover 12. Why Should I Be Sad

} masterpiece Star ratings based on writer’s opinion

issue

T H A N K S G I V I N G

Recycle your Paper

Can

Drive

Week Donate Cans in the front hallway!

Break Wednesday 21 thru Sunday 25

Rose Nails Classic Courier Inc.

4175 Somerset Dr. Prairie Village Corinth Square Shopping Center (near Hen House)

Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 9:30 am- 8 pm Saturday: 9:30 am- 7 pm Sunday: Noon- 5 pm

913-383-8288

For Fast, Beautiful, Thin Looking Nails Full Set Acrylic -- $25 Fill-in -- $16 Manicure -- $12 Pedicure -- $23

Walk-ins or appointments welcome

Visit our Paul Gorman - Owner Website

(816) 363-8999

www.smeharbinger.net

GoodatLuck Musical Auditions This Week

the

A&E

EXPERIENCE LIFETIME of a

New downtown attraction relives college basketball history firsthand » nickratliff

free throw shooting game. Once I pressed the start button, a TV screen behind the basket would turn on, with recordings of real college basketball fans going crazy and trying to make me miss. I took a deep breath and sunk the two shots. This station was a very interesting idea, as it made me feel like I was actually at the line in Allen Fieldhouse. The next station was a three-point shooting station, with the line being out 24 feet, which is regulation length in college. It was extremely difficult to make a shot, which was both a pro and con of the event. It was very frustrating, but also provided insight into how tough being a basketball player, and a good one at that, really is. As we moved onto the next stations, each one started to get more and more fun. There was a dunking station, with a 10-foot, nine-foot and eight-foot basket, depending on how tall and how much of a vertical jump one has. My dad, who’s sixfoot-three, tried dunking on the eight-foot basket and almost hurt himself. The Experience also offered kiosks with fun computer programs, , including “What’s your Vertical jump?” and another where you could compare your hand size to Wilt Chamberlain’s. As my dad and I moved down to the lower level, where the actual Hall of Fame was, I wondered whether this part of the museum could be as interesting and interactive as the upper level. My

DOWNTOWN’S College Basketball Experience integrates design and history to create a museum and hall of fame at the heart of what’s considered a mecca for collegiate basketball. » anna leek

skepticism was blown away, as the Hall of Fame was just as interactive as the upper level. The first thing we went to was a computer program in which you could search any head coach and find out who he was an assistant coach for, and what head coaches were assistants under him. The two coaches I searched were Kansas coach Bill Self and former UCLA coach John Wooden. Wooden had the largest coaching tree of all of the coaches, tutoring nearly 20 head coaches. After the coaching tree program, my dad and I walked into a theater, which played short two minutes vignettes on the different subjects of the history of college basketball, including the racial integration of the game and the importance of “March Madness.” Many of the game’s brightest minds and most colorful personalities spoke in the films, including Memphis coach John Calipari, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and broadcaster Dick Vitale. My dad and I found this so interesting that we didn’t wan to leave, but finally did because their were no benches for my dad to sit on. After this informative part of the museum, we went into another room with more of the “stations” like on the upper level, including an interactive activity where my dad and I could sit at a desk and film ourselves reading highlights of classic college basketball games, as if we were anchors on “Sportscenter.” The program would then play it

back so we could watch it. The stations on this level didn’t really make the Hall of Fame seem different from the upper level. The College Basketball Experience is an interesting, interactive and fun way to spend a couple of hours for any college basketball fan. The museum does what it sets out to do by making you feel like an actual player and showing the media, coaching and playing aspects of the sport. It is a great complement to the new Sprint Center and I highly recommend it to casual and diehard fans alike.

5 College Basketball Moments Ratliff’s

TOP

Walking into the gray concrete building, I felt like I was in Bill Self or Mike Krzyzewski’s locker room, with the coach telling me to box out and play hard-nosed defense and players around yelling and getting pumped up. This was not a locker room though, but simply an elevator. The Sprint Center’s new museum called The College Basketball Experience captures all of the emotions and aspects of college basketball, making it feel like you’re a player throughout the two-level building. The Experience is part of the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Hall of Fame, stationed solely in Kansas City, offering a look inside the experiences of a player, coach and broadcaster, and taking a person through different stations marking different aspects of the game like three-point shooting, rebounding and passing. After we came out of the elevator, my dad and I walked through a hallway with pictures and TV screens showing past moments in college basketball, like Florida winning the national championship and Michael Jordan hitting his famous shot. The hallway ultimately leads to the main room, where all of the interactive stations are in a circle in the middle with kiosks in a c i r c l e a r o u n d them. The first station my dad and I went to was a really realistic

Danny & The Miracles 1. 19886-Seed Kansas tops

1-Seed Oklahoma for title in KC

2. “The Shot”

1982- UNC’s Michael Jordan hits last-minute jumper for title.

3. Back-to-Back Gators

2006 & 2007- Florida wins two titles in two years.

4. Jimmy V in ‘83

1983- NC State wins on alley-oop over Houston as time runs out.

Stop Durant 5. Can’t 2007- Texas Frosh wins

Player of the Year honors. ek

» annale

issue

SPORTS

NaughtyorNice Some players want this year’s powder puff game to be friendly, but most realize it probably won’t be

Left: Senior Katie Zimmer tackles teammate senior Kirby Thomas during a recent practice. Right: Thomas hugs teammate senior Taylon Johnson after a good play.

» taylerphilips

12 nov.

2007

» melissamckittrick

It’s 3 p.m. on Saturday, and football practice is about to start. The players sit on the concrete, stretching and drinking bottles of water. They run a fast lap and do tackle drills, lining up to rush at each other and strip away the ball. They still need some coaching: one player clotheslines another in the neck, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. After reviewing the plays and going to their positions, the girls are ready to play. That’s right: girls. This is powder-puff. “The junior and senior girls play a football game, and it’s pretty intense,” senior Alicia Anderson said. “It’s a tradition.” Girls’ powder-puff is exactly like football, except for no pads and minimal practice. The girls memorize plays, sprint during drills and practice the three-point stance. They have quarterbacks, coaches and team uniforms. They are competitive and they want to beat the other team. However, after broken bones and fist fights in previous years, the current junior and senior powderpuff leaders are making an effort to have a fun, clean and admittedly very intense football game. “Last year, it was really aggressive and intense. There was punching, but I don’t think any of us will do that,” Anderson said. “That’s not what the game is about. It’s just a football game, not a fighting game.” The past years of powder-puff were littered with broken bones, twisted ankles, numerous fist fights and intense competition. It was a chance for the seniors and junior girls, competitors for so many years in sports, clubs and leadership positions, to unite against each other. After three years of classes, clubs and competition, it’s a chance for the grades to join against a single cause. “It’s gonna be violent, it’s gonna’ be brutal,” junior coach Ben Gloe said. “It’s gonna be a girls’ version of ‘300’.” Then why do the girls keep playing? The bragging rights, the t-shirts, the muddy practices and the memories. The junior team, which recently numbered 108 people, has mandatory practices, as do the seniors. The team t-shirts are secret, not to be seen by the other team until game day. It’s a tradition that no one wants to let go of, despite its violent tendencies, so instead they are changing it: instead of focusing on personal differences,

the junior and seniors girls are focusing on friendly, intense competition. “We’re working really hard this year so it’s not about bringing animosity to the team,” junior organizer Emma Collins said. “This year, we’re trying to close the gap between junior and seniors girls instead of widening it like years past.” The junior organizers, Collins and Lyndsey Seck, are trying to make the team more friendly and inclusive for everyone. Although the school does not sponsor powder-puff because of the violent history, every girl, coach and spectator will have to bring a can to donate to the can drive. The leaders are also trying to decrease the number of injuries. After a teammate got hurt last year at practice, the senior girls don’t practice hard tackles anymore. The juniors focus on learning the correct way to tackle: by aiming for the lower body, they lessen the chance of any serious injury. “Last year there was a fight…and then there was another, so we said if there was another they’d get kicked out,” senior Mary Newman said. “If you do have a fight, you’ll have to leave.” Although safety is important, the juniors’ main focus is to be inclusive: to let everyone who wants to play football play. Their Facebook powder-puff group is open to anyone who wants to join, and they are determined that no one feels excluded. At the first practice, when girls on the sidelines started throwing the ball around, Collins sent a couple coaches over to help them start up a second game. “In the past years, it’s been a popularity contest to see who gets to play football,” Collins said. “I didn’t know half the girls in the grade, and now I know some of them. Girls who have never interacted are now coming together.” Whereas camaraderie and friendship are definitely a result of the game, many girls play for the chance to experience football. After cheering at games every Friday night for three or four years, it’s their chance to get in on the action. “It’s going to get intense, but the intensity is what we’re there for,” Collins said. “That’s football – you play and don’t care if the other team gets hurt. We’re going to keep it clean, but have it be a fun and realistic game.”

The game is as realistic as the girls can make it. The setup is the same as a varsity football game: coaches, substitutions, plays and a halftime. Whereas the game lasts four quarters, however, the true memories are made in the practices. With knowledge of football ranging from never catching a pass to having a perfect quarterback’s arm, the girls all rely on coaches to pull the team together and teach the entire grade football. The coaches, varsity football players who coach their team’s grade, come up with plays and teach the basics of football. “I’m assuming it’s just like a regular football game except for without pads and not as traditional,” Gloe said. “Like 90 girls show up, and we do quick drills. We basically give them a lowdown, a quick rundown on the plays.” The most that junior Andie Mitchell has played football is throwing the ball around with her friends, but she is still a strong member on the team. Because of her speed, she is most likely a running back; at her first practice, the coaches taught her what to do. “We did a drill where one person would run and they’d come back and catch the ball,” Mitchell said. “Then we attempted to play. It got a little intense – some people got tripped and tackled in weird ways.” The girls, however, are rising to the challenge. Newman is playing linebacker and fullback. Juniors Madison Blenkenship and Paige Cannady are planning to be quarterback, as is Anderson. The girls take the game seriously, and with good reason: they know the competition. They see them in the halls everyday, and they can’t wait to see them on the playing field. Although it’s a competitive and fierce game, it is also a way of pulling the school together. Girls who never knew each other now have a common cause. And, despite the intense atmosphere and threat of personalities clashing, the girls are optimistic. “This year we’re really attempting to come together and make sure that the game itself is played with a sense of camaraderie between all the girls,” Collins said. “It’s not just about beating the seniors or beating the juniors. It’s always going to be a little bit about that, but right now we’re trying to make it so we all get along.”

tthe

return four starters from a team that was one game away from the state tournament last year. They have a lot of experience in the backcourt and Coach Rick Rhoades’ trapping defense has been effective. If the girls can keep the high-tempo game alive, they could surprise some people.

Who will replace Luke Tanner’s recordsetting scoring output?- Senior Brogan Runion is the most likely candidate, but seniors Brad Crist and Levi Mische will contribute a lot of points as well. They all will probably combine forces and exceed Tanner’s point totals.

games you will wait an hour in line for

Boys’ basketball @ SM South- Nov. 30

The last time East lost to South in football, soccer, or basketball was 2004, the seniors’ freshman year, in football. South sophomore PG Will Spradling started as a freshman and developed into a scorer for the Raiders late last year. They only lost two seniors from a team that made it to the substate finals. This one could be a little closer than last year’s 30-point blowout to open the season.

Boys’ basketball vs. Rockhurst- Jan. 25

The Lancers have beaten the Hawklets four years in a row. So a win against them this year would mean the senior class, like last year’s senior class, would have never lost to Rockhurst. The game’s in East’s gym, and it should be as good as ever. Rockhurst junior Nathan Scheelhaase, (left, guarding McRoberts) more known for his football skills, will probably replace KU’s Conner Teahan’s scoring output.

the panel

Who will score for boys’ basketball?- Bryan Nel-

Will the girls’ basketball team’s experience move them to the next level?- The girls

all photos by samanthaludington

questions that will be answered

SPORTS

minute guide to winter sports 23 son, Bobby Miller and Mike McRoberts were the main scoring threats for the team last year. Miller and Nelson are off at college. In turn, someone will have to put the ball in the bucket. McRoberts will probably need to average at least 15 points a game to keep the offense alive. Senior Terrance Thomas and junior Winn Clark are the only other returning varsity players and need to help McRoberts bear the scoring load.

How many wrestlers will finish in the top 5 of their weight classes at state?- Senior Joey Lutz (125 lb.) and senior Matt Baker (189 lb.) have been there before and could definitely get on the award stand again. Sophomore Tanner Johnson was injured towards the end of last season and couldn’t qualify for State but has the talent to do well this year. Our best guess is those three, but four or five is still realistic.

people to watch

Senior Levi Mische, swimming

Mische (left) was the top non-senior in both the 50 and 100 meter freestyle at last year’s state meet. He finished .54 seconds behind Olathe Northwest senior Dillon Burns in the 50 and took fourth in the 100, three spots behind champion Luke Tanner. If things go right, Runion (right) may be flashing Mische four fingers next year for his potential four state titles.

Senior Matt Baker, wrestling

Baker took third at last year’s state meet and looks to improve this year. The wrestling program has been seeing more overall success since coach Chip Ufford’s ascent to wrestling coach and could reach a peak this year.

Senior Taylon Johnson, basketball

A four-year starter at point guard, Johnson looks to have a big senior season. She was among the Sunflower League leaders in both points per game and assists per game last year and should improve on both of those averages. She will have a lot more help than years past, with junior Libby Jandl and senior Kelsey Whitaker having a lot of varsity experience.

more state title for swimming?

All-League, All-Metro, All-State and All-American Luke Tanner is gone, doing bigger things at USC. It’s no doubt a big blow to the state chances, but lucky enough for East, BV North, the team who took a close second last year, lost their lesser version of Tanner in Jayson King. The team that East might have to worry about is their directional counterpart in Olathe, the Olathe East Hawks. They lost just one senior who scored points in an individual event. Most of their relay teams lost no one to graduation. SM East will likely have the edge in individual events, but they need to rebuild the relay teams that lost Tanner and Mike Stalzer. Hopefully we won’t see a Harbinger Jinx, but if coach Wiley Wright can create relay teams that can compete with the Hawks, there should be little in the way of reaching the podium with the state trophy in their hands. -Clark Goble

yes.

Does boys’ swimDo the Patriots win ming win state... the Super Bowl? again?

NBA Champs

NBA MVP

College B-Ball Title Game

BCS Championship

Chicago Bulls vs. Dallas Mavericks

Gilbert Arenas

UNC vs. Indiana

Oklahoma vs. Oregon

clark GOBLE

Yes, but barely

No, lose to Colts in AFC Champ.

sam LOGAN record- 5-1

Yes, defeat Packers

Chicago Bulls vs. Dallas Mavericks

Dirk Nowitzki

Georgetown vs. Wash. St.

LSU vs. Oregon

sarah LUBY

Yes

Yes, defeat Cowboys

Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs

Kevin Garnett

UNC vs. KU

Ohio St. vs. LSU

nick RATLIFF

Yes

Yes, defeat Packers

Boston Celtics vs. Phoenix Suns

Kevin Garnett

Memphis vs. KU

LSU vs. Oregon

record- 4-2

issue

PHOTOESSAY

a sad farewell

The varsity seniors end their soccer careers at East after losing in the last few seconds of overtime at the state quarterfinal game

Far Above: Kneeling on the ground, senior Niles Jeran reflects on his last soccer game as a senior, while the rest of the team listens to a talk from coach Jamie Kelly. » sallydrape

» Above: Junior Stuart Jones hugs senior Alex Rathbun after the game ended in overtime. It was an emotional loss for the seniors.

nov. 2007

» karenboomer

Above: During the second half, senior Will Tschudy dribbles the ball down the field. Tschudy scored the game winning goal in the qualifying game for the quarterfinals.

» karenboomer

Right: Dressed up in Halloween costumes, senior Grant Gray and friends support the varsity soccer players. The game was on Oct. 30, the night before Halloween. » karenboomer