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This is the archive for January 2007

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

ACTIVITY:
Come support the boys freshman soccer team today as they host Richmond High. Kickoff 5:30 pm.

Come to Colt Necessities for any of your school needs! We have everything from papers to whiteout; binders to index cards. We are here to serve you. Open both lunches in the Career Center.

Love is in the air! Do you have a Valentine? If not, come sign up to play Singled Out at Colt Court starting today through Feb. 7. Anyone can participate!

McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)

Here are the best-sellers for the week that ended Saturday, Jan. 20, compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.
(Reprinted from Publishers Weekly, published by Cahners Publishing Co., a division of Reed Elsevier, USA. (c) 2007 by Reed Elsevier, USA)

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. Plum Lovin'. Janet Evanovich. St. Martin's, $16.95
Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 2
2. For One More Day. Mitch Albom. Hyperion, $21.95
Last Week: 2; Weeks on List: 16
3. Cross. James Patterson. Little, Brown, $27.99
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 9
4. You Suck. Christopher Moore. Morrow, $21.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
5. Next. Michael Crichton. HarperCollins, $27.95
Last Week: 5; Weeks on List: 7
Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights books recently arrived, or soon to arrive, in the James Logan Media Center's collection.

At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Warner Books (October 18, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446532428
ISBN-13: 978-0446532426


From NicholasSparks.com:
There are a few things Jeremy Marsh was sure he’d never do: he’d never leave New York City; never give his heart away after barely surviving one failed marriage; and never become a parent. Now Jeremy is living in the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, engaged to Lexie Darnell, the love of his life, and anticipating the start of their family. But just as his life seems to be settling into a blissful pattern, a mysterious and disturbing e-mail sets off a chain of events that will change the course of this young couple’s relationship.

Reviewed by Hassina Obaidy, Courier Staff Writer

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Publisher: River Head Books (June 2003), 371 pages
Language: English
ISBN (first eidition and hardcover): 1-57322-245-3
ISBN (paperback edition): 1-59448-000-1



Many people can relate to this book, especially those who have started to adapt to a new country or have been betrayed by loved ones. When I first heard about this book, I knew it would be one of my favorite books because it's about someone's life and it's written by an Afghan author, Khaled Hosseini.

A young boy named Amir Khan lives in Kabul, Afghanistan with his father and his best friend Hassan. Amir is the son of a wealthy businessmen who is Sunni Muslim and a Pashtun. Hassan's father, however, is a servant to Amir's father, who is Shi'a Muslim and Hazara.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

By Dion Nissenbaum
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)


Israeli President Moshe
Katzav speaks at a news
conference on Wednesday,
January 24, 2007, at his
residence in Jerusalem after
he was informed charges
would be filed that he sexually
assaulted four employees.

(Yossi Zamir/Flash 90/MCT)
JERUSALEM — In a bid to salvage his job and his reputation, Israeli President Moshe Katsav offered Wednesday to step aside temporarily while he fights possible rape charges, then went on national television to deliver an impassioned pledge to clear his name.

With his wife, Gila, looking on, Katsav refused to resign during the hourlong address, categorically rejected the allegations and accused the Israeli news media of serving as a lynch mob.

"I will fight to my last breath Israel's president defends his reputation while offering to step aside even if I have to fight a world war Israel's president defends his reputation while offering to step aside to prove my innocence," Katsav said during his television appearance, which was interrupted briefly by a shouting match with a reporter whose television coverage the president had criticized.



ACTIVITY:
There will be a mandatory badminton team meeting today after school in Room 66. New players are still welcome to sign up.

Come support the boys soccer teams tonight as they host MSJ. Jv at 4 pm and varsity at 6 pm.

CLUBS:
Come join the new club: Female Aid Organization. First meeting Thurs., 2/8/07, after school in Room 530. Don’t miss out!

By Allen Grove (MCT)


The top 15 of 30 text-message
abbreviations, from

www.fixedtext.com
.As a new academic semester begins, educators around the country are haunted by New Zealand's decision to allow text-speak — those short-cuts and abbreviations used in text messaging — on national exams.

What does the New Zealand Qualifications Authority's policy say about the future of our language? Are we to condone Suzi who cant use apostrophes? and what about chad, a student i know whos given up on capitals? Worse yet, what do we do about Johnny (u wont blieve this 1) who drops vowels and uses acronyms?


By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)

WARIOWARE: SMOOTH MOVES
For: Nintendo Wii
From: Nintendo/Intelligent Systems
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+


If "Wii Sports" was an aptitude test for new Wii owners, "WarioWare: Smooth Moves" is akin to cramming for midterms. Whether you've beaten "Halo" on legendary or never handled a video game controller in your life, you can thank "Moves" for leveling the playing field and delivering an experience that will drive everyone equally crazy.

Roy David Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989) was a jazz trumpet player in the Swing era. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, resulted in him sometimes being seen as the link between Louis Armstrong-era swing music and Dizzy Gillespie-era bebop.

Life
Eldridge was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and originally played drums, trumpet and tuba. His nickname was Little Jazz. He led bands from his early years, moving to St. Louis, and then to New York. He absorbed the influence of saxophonists Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins, setting himself the task of learning Hawkins 1926 solo on "The Stampede" in developing an equivalent trumpet style.

Read an interview with Roy Eldridge, free from the University of Michigan's African-American Music Collection.

Monday, January 29, 2007

By Veronica Brown, Courier Staff Writer

Images Copyrighted by Historylink101.com & found at Italy and Rome Picture Gallery.
Not the Roman Forum,
but the New Haven
Community Forum.
Images
©Historylink101.com
and found at Italy and
Rome Picture Gallery
.
Used with permission.
I originally jumped at the opportunity to cover the New Haven Community Forum because my teacher bribed us with double credit; and I needed the credit.

As soon as I walked in the room I was greeted by a couple staff members who made me feel very comfortable, despite the fact that I was the only student there. I sat there quietly taking my notes on the brief presentation just stating the topics of discussion for the evening. Then after about ten minutes, of three repeating the same topics, we broke off into two groups.

On one side of the room, there was a discussion about the pros and cons of random searches for students; these would be done on students that have been previously suspended for possession of a weapons or controlled substance. And on my side of the room, we discussed the pros and cons of installing surveillance cameras around the schools in the district. We all took turns, going around a circle, expressing our thoughts on the potential policy.

James Jamerson (January 29, 1936 - August 2, 1983) was an American musician. He was the uncredited bassist on most of Motown Records' hits in the 1960s and early 1970s, and he has become regarded as one of the most influential electric bass players in modern music history. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.

Biography
A native of Edisto Island (near Charleston), South Carolina, Jamerson moved with his mother to Detroit, Michigan in 1954. He learned to play the double bass at Northwestern High School, and he soon began playing in Detroit area blues and jazz clubs.

Watch James Jamerson play bass with Marvin Gaye on the songs What's Goin' On and What's Happening Brother?, free from youtube.com.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Christina Jue/Courier Comic ©2007Raman Rataul/Courier Comic©2007Bryaht Yeun/Courier Comic ©2007
Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe (September 2, 1948 – January 28, 1986), better known simply as Christa McAuliffe, and prior to her marriage, Christa Corrigan, was an American teacher from Concord, New Hampshire who was selected from among more than 11,000 applicants to be the first teacher in space. She died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Early life
Born Sharon Christa Corrigan on September 2, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts, McAuliffe was the oldest of five children of Edward (deceased) and Grace Corrigan. The year she was born, her father was completing his sophomore year at Boston College. Not long thereafter, he took a job as an assistant comptroller in a Boston department store and the family moved to the Boston suburb of Framingham, where she attended and graduated from Marian High School in 1966. As a youth, she was inspired by the Apollo moon landing program, and wrote years later on her astronaut application form that "I watched the Space Age being born, and I would like to participate!"

Watch video about the tragic flight on the Space Shuttle Challenger, during which Christa McAuliffe lost her life along with the rest of the flight crew free from Google Video.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

By Craig Gilbert
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MCT)


How many of the announced and expected
candidates can you identify? Check below
for who's who. Courier Graphic
WASHINGTON — The next presidential election is more than 90 weeks away. So why does it feel like it's just around the corner?

In the space of five days, U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois have plunged into the race, injecting the political equivalent of rocket fuel into the 2008 campaign, giving junkies and journalists a Democratic duel to drool over.

"The intensity is going to heat up more than anybody can measure right now," said Democratic strategist Stephanie Cutter last week, speaking before Clinton announced her candidacy on her Web site Saturday, declaring, "I'm in and I'm in to win."

On the Republican side, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney already have assembled large and growing campaign networks.
By Helen Kennedy
New York Daily News (MCT)


Sen. Barack Obama
NEW YORK — Vowing not to be "Swift boated," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., aggressively pushed back yesterday against "ludicrous" rumors reported on Fox News that he attended a radical Islamic school.

Taking on Fox hosts Steve Doocy and John Gibson by name, Obama's campaign blasted the "malicious, irresponsible charges" they aired.

"You have to take control and make sure that folks know the facts and not just these innuendos from the right-wing smear machine," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton. "We will aggressively address any charges that are leveled."
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)

The following editorial appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Thursday, Jan. 18:


During World War II, American women
and their admirers sacrificed their nylon
and silk stockings to the war effort.
President Bush was interviewed Tuesday on PBS' "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." Lehrer asked the president the following question: "(W)hy have you not, as president of the United States, asked more Americans and more American interests to sacrifice something? The people who are now sacrificing are, you know, the volunteer military _ the Army and the U.S. Marines and their families. They're the only people who are actually sacrificing anything at this point."

Here is the president's reply: "Well, you know, I think a lot of people are in this fight. I mean, they sacrifice peace of mind when they see the terrible images of violence on TV every night. I mean, we've got a fantastic economy here in the United States, but yet, when you think about the psychology of the country, it is somewhat down because of this war."

Really. That's what the president said: Americans are sacrificing their peace of mind when they see the war on television. And even though we've got iPods and plasma TVs and SUVs and all the other glories of a $13 trillion economy, the war is taking some of the fun out of it.

William T. Sherman: "War is hell."

George W. Bush: "War's a bummer."

By John Chau, Courier Staff Writer

Six months ago, I decided to fulfill my ethnic studies requirement by enrolling in an Asian-American Studies class. Since then, the class has led me to investigate my identity further. Through Internet databases and Government press information, I found an impressive amount of statistics based on the Asian-American population in America,

— For detailed Asian group alone, the US Census update in 2000 showed the total Asian population in the United States as 10,171,820 accounting for 3.61% of the total US population. For Asian group alone or in combination with other ethnic group the total population stood at 11,859, 446 accounting for 4.21% of the total US population. However, the Census Facts for Features Update issued in May 2006 showed the Asian American population currently at 14 million.
Elmore James (January 27,1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues singer and guitarist. He was known as The King of the Slide Guitar.

James was born Elmore Brooks in Richland, Mississippi, 50 miles north of Jackson (not to be confused with another Richland just south of Jackson). He began playing as a teen, under the names Cleanhead and Joe Willie James, alongside musicians such as the first Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, and Robert Johnson. During World War II James joined the United States Navy and was stationed in Guam.

Listen to a clip of "Dust My Broom," performed by Elmore James, one of two clips available online in WAV format from the National Park Service.

Friday, January 26, 2007

By Rick LaPlante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer

A student wants to learn Adobe Photoshop Elements, so she can include pictures in a report. A teacher wants to insert charts in the PowerPoint presentation he is preparing for his classroom. A mother wants to know more about the blogs that her son has been reading every night.

Or, just for fun, someone wants to create a playlist in iTunes or compose a new song in GarageBand.

Students, teachers and parents in the New Haven Unified School District can learn all of the above and much more - for free - just by going online.

Reviewed by Iona Childers, Courier Staff Writer


Yelp.com (Sake S.) photo
Tammada Thai Cuisine
1640 Decoto Rd
Union City, CA 94587
(510) 675-0005
www.tammadathaicuisine.com


With a last minute decision to eat out with a few friends on a late school night, we finally decided upon Tammada Thai Cuisine. I had been there once before, but my other two friends had never tried Thai food so we decided to add another cuisine to our eating belts (which are probably stretched to the max by now). It was around 6:30 in the evening and already dark outside by the time we all made it to the restaurant. There were only about two or three other groups inside the restaurant, so we were given menus and seated right away.



ACTIVITY:
Come support the boys soccer teams tomorrow night as they host Mission San Jose. Jv at 4 pm and varsity at 6 pm.

CLUBS:
Culinary Academy, baguettes, French culture all rolled into one. Come to French Club tomorrow in Room 452. We will discuss the Culinary Academy, so come.

The 17th annual Sabor Latino Dance is Saturday, 2/10, from 7-11 pm. There will be Latin music, Hip-hop, etc. The dance is sponsored by the Ballet Folklorico. Tickets are $5 in advance, $8 @ door. For more info, see Mr. Huertas in House 1.

By Iona Childers, Courier Staff Writer

While some might expect this movie's 'one man, eight women' scenario to be a documentary on polygamy, the French movie, 8 Femmes, is actually a musical whodunit.

There are quite a few things that need to be cleared up, however. First of all, that one man has just been murdered at the beginning of the film. Second, those eight women are comprised of his wife, sister-in-law, mother-in-law, sister, two teenaged daughters, a housekeeper, and a chambermaid. One lonely man in the midst of eight either estrogen overflowing or deprived women. Do we even need to ask who or what did the poor guy in? Alas, it is not PMS, nor is his murder the result of a hot flash gone seriously out of control.

Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an African American communist organizer and philosopher who was associated with the Black Panther Party in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the Communist Party of the United States of America. She first achieved nationwide notoriety when she was linked to the murder of judge Harold Haley during an attempted Black Panther prison break; she fled underground, and was the subject of an intense manhunt. After 18 months as a fugitive, she was captured, arrested, tried, and eventually acquitted in one of the most famous trials in recent U.S. history. She is currently Professor of History of Consciousness at the University of California and Presidential Chair at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She works for racial and gender equality and for prison abolition. Davis is a founder of Critical Resistance.

Watch a 1979 film of Angela Davis speaking speaking at Florida A&M University’s Black History Month convocation,streaming in RealVideo or WMV formats, free from the Florida Memory Project.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

By Veronica Brown, Courier Staff Writer


Video Surveillance is being considered
for the James Logan campus
Tuesday night, New Haven Unified School District Community Forum attacked the issue of the safety of it’s schools. The meeting was hosted by Superintendent Dr. Pat Jaurequi. Two major topics that were being discussed were installing video surveillance cameras in the district schools and whether or not random searches should be conducted for students who have been previously punished for weapon possession or selling controlled substances.
ACTIVITY:
Buses for today (finals) will leave after school at 1:30 SHARP!! No activity bus today.

ROP Students! You must attend your regular ROP classes on Monday! ROP buses will be on their normal pick-up drop-off schedule.

Come support the boys soccer teams tonight as they host American in a league match. Jv at 4 pm and varsity at 6.

The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)

Pop:

JOHN WAITE "Downtown — Journey of a Heart" (Rounder, 3 stars)
John Waite's new CD finds the infectious if precious singer-songwriter looking forward and looking back. He trots out some new stuff, such as the Fifth Avenue romance of "St. Patrick's Day," and puts a fresh paint of coat on a number of old favorites, harking all the way back to his `70s days with the Babys ("Isn't It Time" and others).

By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor

Next Tuesday, American Idol's runner-up of season five, Katharine McPhee, will be releasing her debut self-titled album. On the hit FOX reality series, McPhee instantly blew many people away with her performance of Somewhere over the Rainbow, chosen by Simon Cowell himself when there were three finalists left (including winner Taylor Hicks and Elliott Yamin).

By Patrick Pilapil, Courier Staff Writer

Peter Frampton - Fingerprints

5 out of 5 stars

Peter Frampton is undoubtedly a legend in the music industry. He worked with two chart-topping acts from the United Kingdom, The Herd and Humble Pie, in the 60's and early 70's. He would move on to a successful solo career, releasing the classic live album, "Frampton Comes Alive".

"Fingerprints", is Frampton's first attempt at an all-instrumental album. The 14 track LP is evidence that Frampton's genius has yet to diminish.
Jamesetta Hawkins January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles, California) is an American Blues, R&B and Gospel singer. In the 1950s and 60s, she had her biggest success as a Blues and R&B singer. She is best-known for her 1961 ballad "At Last", which has been classified as a "timeless classic" and has been featured in many movies and television commercials since its release.

Childhood & Rise to Success
Few R&B singers have endured tragic travails on the monumental level of Etta James and remain to tell the tale.

Read an article by Blues star Bonnie Raitt about Etta James and her influence on modern blues music, free from RollingStone.com.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

ACTIVITY:
Come support the boys soccer teams tomorrow as they host American High School. Jv at 4 pm and varsity at 6.

Come support the boys freshman soccer team today as they host Concord High School. Kickoff at 5:30 pm.

Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights books newly arrived, or soon-to-arrive, in the James Logan Media Center.

American Born Chinese, by Gene Yuen Yang
Publisher: First Second (September 5, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1596431520
ISBN-13: 978-1596431522


From firstsecondbooks.com:
All Jin Wang wants is to fit in...

When his family moves to a new neighborhood, he suddenly finds that he’s the only Chinese-American student at his school. Jocks and bullies pick on him constantly, and he has hardly any friends. Then, to make matters worse, he falls in love with an all-American girl...

Reviewed by Jessica Stewart, Courier Book Editor

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Signet; 35th anniversary edition (November 1, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451192036
ISBN-13: 978-0451192035


“This may not be all of it. It may not cover all the questions, but it is what it is like to be a Negro in a land where we keep the Negro down.”


This is the story of a curious white man who disguises himself as a black man in 1959 and enters the Deep South. It is a true story written in the form of a journal, which automatically drags the reader in and forces the reader to experience the events recounted in each entry. One of the best, and most interesting, books I’ve ever read, Black Like Me is a revealing account of the life of an African American living in the South after segregation and racism has supposedly disappeared.
Reviewed by Hassina Obaidy, Courier Staff Writer

A Bend in the Road By Nicholas Sparks
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Warner Books (July 1, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446611867
ISBN-13: 978-0446611862


When I think of a book by Nicholas Sparks, I think about all romance and nothing more. When I picked up this book, I recognized that it’s not only romance, but mystery as well. I thought it would be those typical love stories you see in films, but as I read in depth, I realized that it was a bit different.

Ira Hamilton Hayes (January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955) was a full blood Akimel O’odham, or Pima Indian, and an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community. A survivor of World War II's Battle of Iwo Jima, Hayes was trained as a Paramarine in the United States Marine Corps (USMC), and became one of five Marines, along with a US Navy corpsman, immortalized in the iconic photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.

Life
The son of Joeb E. and Nancy W. Hayes, Ira Hayes was born on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Sacaton, Arizona. Hayes left school in 1942 to enlist in the Marines. Trained as a paratrooper, he was nicknamed Chief Falling Cloud.



Tuesday, January 23, 2007

ADMINISTRATION:
All students with T.A. on their schedules for 2nd semester must check in with Ms. Quintal in the Main Office Tuesday, 1/30, at the beginning of the T.A. period to receive their assignment.

ACTIVITY:
Breakfast is available every day from 7:30-8 am for $1.50 (or free if
on lunch program). It comes with milk, juice, fresh fruit, and
cold cereal, cereal bars & yogurt, or a choice of one of the following:
Mondays & Thursdays: Bagel w/Cream Cheese
Tuesdays: French Toast Sticks
Wednesdays: Cinnamon Roll
Fridays: Buttermilk Bar


By Bill Radford
The Gazette (MCT)


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — It's a new day and a new year — and another step into the future.

We all have a picture of the future in our heads, visions of spaceships, flying cars and robot servants shaped by everything from classic science-fiction novels to "The Jetsons." And in this age of medical marvels and personal computers and cars that parallel-park themselves, the question is: Has the future arrived?

By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)

KARAOKE REVOLUTION PRESENTS: AMERICAN IDOL
For: Playstation 2
From: Blitz/Konami
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+ (Lyrics)


The first "American Idol" game for the PS2, released by Codemasters in 2003, was a sloppy rhythm game that looked weird, involved no singing and only loosely resembled Fox's cash cow TV series.

This, on the other hand, makes sense. Konami will find any reason it can to churn out another "Karaoke Revolution" game — this is its fifth in barely more than three years on the PS2 alone — and it's almost ridiculous that such a popular show has no worthy video game counterpart after all these years. It's a dual back-scratching match made in heaven, and it (mostly) works in both parties' favor.

Chita Rivera (born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero on January 23, 1933 in Washington, D.C.) is a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical actress and dancer of Puerto Rican heritage, and the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award.

Her father was from Puerto Rico; he played clarinet and saxophone for the Navy band. Chita's mother, Katherine Figueroa, who was of mostly Scottish descent, went to work for The Pentagon when she was widowed when Chita was seven years old; Chita's mother died in 1983.


Watch Chita Rivera sing and dance to the song "Pretty for Me," in 1968, from Music on TV, via youtube.com.

Monday, January 22, 2007

By Christina La, Courier Staff Writer


Hunter Hayden Christina La photo
Many students display their time and effort into extra-curricular activities. With so much offered here at Logan, it’s easy for students to find their interest in what they are capable of doing best. A great amount of students have found their place in sports. Student athletes spend numerous hard working days to strive themselves to their best potential in order to get recognition for their well found expertise. For some students, their sport is something that will take them beyond high school.

Hunter Hayden, a junior in his second year of being on the varsity basketball team, has already received letters of interest from various colleges, such as Stanford University, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, Santa Clara University and many more. These letters, which are sent weekly, are constant reminders for him to acknowledge that the college representatives have recognized him as a top student athlete and ask for his consideration into attending the school after high school graduation. Also, he was given a campus tour of UC Davis, and had been provided with free tickets to watch the school’s basketball game as a way to convince him to make UC Davis his selection.
ADMINISTRATION:
All students with T.A. on their schedules for 2nd semester must check in with Ms. Quintal in the Main Office Tuesday, 1/30, at the beginning of the T.A. period to receive their assignment.

ACTIVITY:
Buses for Thursday & Friday (finals) will leave after school at 1:30 SHARP!! Also, there will be no activity bus.



By Barbara Barrett
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

WASHINGTON — The plan House Democrats will push Wednesday to slash rates on some student loans falls short of a proposal they pitched nearly a year ago when the Republicans controlled Congress.

By Marisa Taylor and Greg Gordon
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)


Alberto Gonzales
WASHINGTON — In a major retreat, the Bush administration disclosed Wednesday that it has obtained approval for its domestic spying program from a special national security court and no longer will resort to warrantless telephone taps to search for terrorists.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales revealed the secret arrangement with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on the eve of his first appearance before the Democratic-controlled Congress and amid an appeals court fight over a federal judge's ruling striking down the spying program as illegal and unconstitutional.


Sunday, January 21, 2007

Anne Chen/Courier Comic ©2007Christina Jue/Courier Comic ©2007Raman Rataul / Courier Comic ©2007
Edwin Starr (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003) was an American soul music singer.

Born Charles Edwin Hatcher in Nashville, Tennessee, Starr is most famous for his Norman Whitfield produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the number one hit "War".

Watch Edwin Starr describe his career "moves" in a short film from Pogus Caesar Gallery, in RealVideo format.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

By Tim Johnson
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)


Only a modest sign advertises the
location of a Starbucks' coffee bar
in the Forbidden City section of
Beijing, China. The presence of a
foreign company in the most
historical area of the city has drawn
the ire of some. For centuries the
Forbidden City was the sanctuary
of imperial dynasties.

(Tim Johnson/MCT)
BEIJING — The discreet outdoor sign is gone from the Starbucks coffee shop in Beijing's most famous historical site, the Forbidden City.

But the outlet there is generating sudden heat on the Internet and in newspapers, sparked by a journalist who contends that its presence is "obscene" and a "trashing of Chinese culture."

"All I want is for Starbucks to move out of the Forbidden City peacefully, quietly. And we'll continue enjoying Starbucks elsewhere in the city," said Rui Chenggang, a popular television anchorman who set off the drive.

By Tuesday, the issue hit the front page of the high-selling Beijing News, and Rui's personal blog on the matter drew a half-million page views and thousands of responses, many of them nationalistic calls for the removal of the Starbucks outlet.



By Bill Ferguson
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)


Studio of John James Audubon
Long-Tailed Weasel, c. 1845

From the National Gallery Archives

I can't understand why anyone would want to run for president. Who in their right mind would willingly open himself up to the kind of scrutiny and criticism that a person has to endure just to compete for what is probably the most difficult, stressful job in the world?

Obviously some people do covet the position badly enough to try to run that bruising gauntlet because every four years a number of high-profile politicians throw their hats in the ring. I guess we should be grateful that is the case, but it's painful just to watch the process chew people up and spit them out sometimes.


By Christina Jewett
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ten employees of KDND were fired Tuesday and the "Morning Rave" morning radio show has been cancelled in wake of a water-drinking contest Friday that left a woman ill hours before she died, apparently of water intoxication.

Jennifer Lea Strange, 28, drank one and three-quarters of a gallon of water — according to another contestant — Friday morning during a "Hold your Wee for a Wii" contest in which competitors had to drink as much water as they could without going to the bathroom for a Nintendo game system.

From Rick LaPlante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer

null
Logan Teacher Erin Cross won a
grant for her "Interactive
Homework" project.

Courier Photo
One teacher is getting money for a treasure chest, an aquarium, a suitcase and other props that she can use to help English language learners understand classroom stories. Two others will be able to buy puppets that will help them promote dialogue, critical thinking and problem-solving as part of their lessons. Still others will purchase extra books, learning games, science materials and supplies for school and community gardens.



By Bobbi Maas, Courier Staff Writer

Logan prevailed 2-0 in a well-matched game with Irvington Thursday.

Logan‘s focus led to their victory; it blurred the talents of the other team. The crowd was engaged in the game and their excitement seemed to increase Logan‘s drive.


Huddie William Ledbetter (January 20, 1888 - December 6, 1949) was an American folk and blues musician, notable for his clear and forceful singing, his virtuosity on the twelve string guitar, and the rich songbook of folk standards he introduced. He is best known as Leadbelly or Lead Belly.

Although his most commonly-played instrument was the twelve string, he could also play the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, concertina, and accordion. In some of his recordings, such as in one of his versions of the folk ballad "John Hardy", he performs on the accordion instead of the guitar.

The topics of Lead Belly's music covered a wide range of subjects, including gospel songs, blues songs about women, liquor, racism, folk songs about cowboys, prison, work, sailors, cattle herding, dancing, and songs concerning the newsmakers of the day, such as President Franklin Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, the Scottsboro Boys, and multi-millionaire Howard Hughes.

Watch Lead Belly and play "Pick a Bale of Cotton," free from youtube.com

Friday, January 19, 2007

By Rick LaPlante, New Haven Unified School District Public Information Officer

"
Safety in Our Schools" will be the topic Tuesday, January 23, when the New Haven Unified School District holds its second New Haven Community Forum, at James Logan High School.

The meeting, hosted by Superintendent Dr. Pat Jaurequi, will begin at 4 p.m. in Logan's student union, "The Spot."

By Roger Moore
The Orlando Sentinel (MCT)

"Based on a true story" doesn't quite work for "Primeval." How about "Almost entirely unlike the true story" or "An utter croc of a true story?"

You've seen that oft-repeated PBS documentary on Gustav, the man-eating African croc? "Primeval" is an absurd Disney fictionalization of his tale, that of a 25- to 30-foot Burundi crocodile who eats and eats and eats Africans in the middle of nowhere.

John Harold Johnson (January 19, 1918 – August 8, 2005) was the founder of the Johnson Publishing Company, an international media and cosmetics empire headquartered in Chicago, Illinois that includes Ebony, and Jet magazines, Fashion Fair Cosmetics and EBONY Fashion Fair. Johnson was the first black person to appear on the Forbes 400 Rich List, and had a fortune estimated at close to $500 million.

Johnson was born in Arkansas City, Arkansas and in the 1930s moved to Chicago, Illinois with his family, where he attended Chicago's DuSable High School in 1936.

Read more about and watch an interview with John H. Johnson, streaming free from the National Visionary Leadership Project.

Thursday, January 18, 2007


Barricades and rock salt were used
to lessen the "black ice" hazard.

Michelle Morimoto, Courier Photo

Frigid morning temperatures and overnight rain combined Wednesday to create slippery conditions on walkways and prompted maintence workers to cordon off the worst areas and spread rock salt on the ground to melt the dangerous ice, but not before several students slipped and fell.

Junior Bobbie Maas was one of the students who fell after encountering the "black ice."
By Constance Loizos
San Jose Mercury News (MCT)


Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, Inc., displays
the new iPhone during his keynote speech
at Macworld, Tuesday, January 9, 2007,
at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

(Gary Reyes/San Jose Mercury News/MCT)
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the long-rumored Apple phone last week, describing it as a "revolutionary" product that combines a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a mobile phone and an Internet communications device.

Saying it was a "day I've been looking forward to for two and a half years," Jobs framed the phone — dubbed the iPhone — as the latest in a string of world-changing products from Apple like the Macintosh and the iPod.

CLUBS:
PHAT, Promoting Health Awareness to Teens, meets on Monday after school at the Health Center. Community service hours available!

GSA meets today - come and watch a film in Room 52.

MISCELLANEOUS:
Come to Colt Necessities and get your Logan gear! Open Monday through Friday during both lunches. Remember, we don’t sell we serve. Also get warm with beanies and sweaters in the store.
By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor

For about 9 years, Japan's music scene has been listening to one of their hottest pop acts, Utada Hikki Hikaru. This Japanese-American singer is only 23 years old and has sold a total of 32 million records by the end of 2006 in Japan. After listening to her latest album, Ultra Blue, it is clear why Utada is so popular and why the album easily reached to the top of the charts.

by Nathanial Lealao, Courier Staff Writer

Jayceon Terrell Taylor, aka “The Game,” released his second album, "The Doctor's Advocate," recently, and it's great. The multi-platinum rapper is leading the way to bring the West Coast back on the map in the Rap/Hip Hop industry. He's lucky to be alive to do it.

Early Life
The Game, a Compton native, had multiple inspirations, such rapper/producer Dr.Dre, Eazy E, Snoop Dogg and other L.A./West Coast artists.

By Jim Farber
New York Daily News (MCT)

Time plays tricks with taste.

Thirty years ago, the crooning vocal group called America struck critics, and serious rock fans, as the folk-rock equivalent of Velveeta — a superprocessed, terminally bland approximation of the real thing.

But yesterday's Velveeta has a way of turning into today's foie gras, as witnessed by America's recent image upgrade. Lately, a whole swath of credible, current rock acts have rushed to the group's aid and defense.
Alan Alexander Milne (January 18, 1882 – January 31, 1956), also known as A. A. Milne, was a British author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.

Biography
Milne (pronounced m?ln) was born in Scotland but raised in London at Henley House School, a small independent school run by his father, John V. Milne. One of his teachers was H. G. Wells. He attended Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge where he studied on a mathematics scholarship. While there, he edited and wrote for Granta, a student magazine. He collaborated with his brother Kenneth and their articles appeared over the initials AKM. Milne's work came to the attention of the leading British humour magazine Punch, where Milne was to become a contributor and later an assistant editor.

Read Not that it Matters by A. A. Milne, a collection of stories and essays, one of nine of his works available free from Project Gutenberg

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

By Rick LaPlante, New Haven Unified School District Public Information Officer

The Board of Education on Tuesday night received the second in a regular series of quarterly updates on the District's Strategic Plan, the New Haven community's guide to budgeting and decision-making during the next five years. As part of a separate report, the Board also saw how Strategy 1 - assuring implementation of standards-based curriculum and using assessment data to drive research-based instructional practices - is being carried out.

CLUBS:
Breakers, turfers, mc’s, dj’s, spoken word, come to Hip-Hop Elements practice today after school in the Spot. Dj equipment provided.

GSA meets today - come and watch a film in Room 52.


Reviewed by Jessica Stewart, Courier Book Editor



All You Need to Be Impossibly French: A Witty Investigation into the Lives, Lusts, and Little Secrets of French Women by Helena Frith-Powell
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Plume (November 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0452287782
ISBN-13: 978-0452287785


“There’s no denying French women do have a certain something. Anglo-Saxons have always admired the French sense of style. Even English soldiers during the Hundred Years’ War were impressed with the French women and the way they looked. If your best friend tells you her husband has a Bulgarian mistress, you can at least console her and give her some hope. If she tells you he has a French mistress, you know your friend is toast.”

Half autobiography, half how-to book, All You Need to Be Impossibly French is an interesting look at the lives of French women. It is an in-depth look at how exactly some of the sexiest women in the world manage to be sexy all the way up to their deaths.
Note: On Wednesday's, The Courier spotlights new books arriving in the James Logan Media Center.

My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King by Reymundo Sanchez
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Chicago Review Press; 1st ed edition (July 1, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1556524013
ISBN-13: 978-1556524011


From www.chicagoreviewpress.com:
Looking for an escape from childhood abuse, Reymundo Sanchez turned away from school and baseball to drugs, alcohol, and then sex, and was left to fend for himself before age 14. The Latin Kings, one of the largest and most notorious street gangs in America, became his refuge and his world, but its violence cost him friends, freedom, self-respect, and nearly his life. This is a raw and powerful odyssey through the ranks of the new mafia, where the only people more dangerous than rival gangs are members of your own gang, who in one breath will say they’ll die for you and in the next will order your assassination.


McClatchy-Tribune News Service(MCT)

Here are the best-sellers for the week that ended Saturday, Jan. 6, compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.
(Reprinted from Publishers Weekly, published by Cahners Publishing Co., a division of Reed Elsevier, USA. (c) 2007 by Reed Elsevier, USA)

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. For One More Day. Mitch Albom. Hyperion, $21.95
Last Week: 1; Weeks on List: 14
2. The Hunters. W.E.B. Griffin. Putnam, $26.95
Last Week: -; Weeks on List: 1
3. Cross. James Patterson. Little, Brown, $27.99
Last Week: 3; Weeks on List: 7
4. Next. Michael Crichton. HarperCollins, $27.95
Last Week: 2; Weeks on List: 5
5. Shadow Dance. Julie Garwood. Ballantine, $25.95
Last Week: 4; Weeks on List: 2
Anne Brontë (January 17, 1820 – May 28, 1849) was a British novelist and poet, the youngest of the Brontë literary family. She used the pen name Acton Bell.

She was born in the village of Thornton, Yorkshire, England, the last of six children. Anne's mother, Maria Branwell Brontë, died of cancer a year later in 1821, after the family had moved to Haworth where her father, Patrick Brontë, was appointed perpetual curate. In 1825 her two eldest siblings, Maria and Elizabeth died of tuberculosis contracted at the Clergy Daughters' boarding school at Cowan Bridge, Lancashire and much has been written about the influence of these deaths on her and her siblings and its possible influence on their later writings.

Read Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë, one of three of her works available free from Project Gutenberg.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)

ELEBITS
For: Nintendo Wii
From: Konami
ESRB Rating: Everyone


Nintendo's Wii promises to become a destination for games not remotely possible on other systems, but there's just as much room in the pool for the likes of "Elebits" — an entirely possible, potentially ordinary game made special through the magic of the Wiimote.

"Elebits" is essentially a game of video hide and seek. The game derives its name from the hundreds of tiny glowing creatures hiding in and around your house — in corners, behind furniture, in the back of a broom closet, under a vase, even inside various appliances. Your job is to tear apart each area and catch enough of the critters to satisfy each level's objectives before time runs out.

By John Reinan
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

MINNEAPOLIS — The federal government wants your Internet provider to keep track of every Web site you visit.

For more than a year, the U.S. Justice Department has been in discussions with Internet companies and privacy rights advocates, trying to come up with a plan that would make it easier for investigators to check records of Web traffic.

By Jackie Burrell
Contra Costa Times (MCT)


Jane McGonigal, from her
website, avantgame.com
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — It's been quite a year for alternate reality game designer Jane McGonigal.

She hasn't had much time to dust her 2005 Webby — won for her design work on the cutting edge game "ILoveBees" — or the framed plaudits from a New York Times Year in Review, which called the game one of the most significant cultural phenomena of 2004.

Instead, the Berkeley graduate student has been jetting off to global conferences on game design, negotiating publishing rights to her just-finished doctoral dissertation, and enjoying the fame and attention that comes when MIT fetes you as one of the nation's "Top 35 Innovators Under 35."

By Diamond Floyd, Courier Staff Writer

Guitar Hero 2 is the game of the season.

Playing Guitar Hero for the first time is a blast. Playing it again and again only cultivates an addiction.

Everyone I know has played it over and over again, and loved every minute of it.

Guitar Hero is available only on the Playstation 2 game console. The game is played with special guitar-shaped controls that have 5 color-coded buttons on the guitar neck, a whammy bar (the little metal bar sticking out of the side) and a strum control.

ACTIVITIES:
Come support the boys soccer teams tonight as they match up against Washington. Jv at 4 pm and varsity at 6.

MISCELLANEOUS:
Congratulations to the boys soccer team for their 6-1 win over Newark on Friday night. Highlights included 3 goals scored by Felipe Cabrera and 2 assists by Roberto Amezquita.
Robert W. Service (January 16, 1874 – September 11, 1958) was a Scottish-born Canadian poet and writer. He is most well known for his writings on the Canadian north, including the poems "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee".

Early life
He was born into a Scottish family while they were living in Preston, England. He was schooled in Scotland, attending Hillhead High School in Glasgow. He moved to Canada at the age of 21 when he gave up his job working in a Glasgow bank and travelled to Vancouver Island, British Columbia with his Buffalo Bill outfit and dreams of becoming a cowboy. Hired by the Canadian Bank of Commerce, he was posted to the bank's branch in Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory. Inspired by the vast beauty of the Yukon wilderness, Service started writing his poetry about the things he saw.

Read The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses by Robert W. Service, one of five of his books available free from Project Gutenberg.

Monday, January 15, 2007

By Adam Phillips, VOANews.com
New York


Dr. King in Atlanta SCLC Office
(Gandhi on wall)
, 1966
Photo by Bob Fitch,
www.stevenkasher.com
Today is a national holiday in the United States honoring the birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He led the non-violent struggle in the 1950s and 1960s to promote civil rights and end racial segregation in America, until his murder in April 1968.

Today, Dr. King is hailed as a true American hero with whom almost all Americans are familiar. What many may not realize is that Dr. King's non-violent methods were largely inspired by a man who lived a continent and a generation away. He was Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi, the statesman and sage who helped colonial India win independence from Britain in 1948.

Gandhi's own beginnings as a world leader occurred in what was an otherwise unremarkable experience for colonials. In 1893, as a young Indian lawyer in South Africa, Gandhi was ejected from the first class train seat he had paid for, and told to sit among the other non-whites in the third class compartment. It was a moment that would profoundly affect the world.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

By Silvio Laccetti
(MCT)

The credo of modern civilization is MORE ... of anything and everything you can get your hands on. We now have more college football bowl games than ever before, 32 of them to be sure! They ran from Dec. 19, 2006 to Jan. 8, 2007.

Some athletes wanted money for playing in the national college football championship bowl. "We all deserve more money," commented one player in an AP story. It's not greed, just reality, says another participant.


By Tamer El-Ghobashy, Alison Fox and Carrie Melago
New York Daily News (MCT)

NEW YORK — A Brooklyn principal refused to allow a special education student to compete in a districtwide spelling bee because he wasn't smart enough, the student and teachers charged Wednesday.

"She said, `You don't have the brains to do it. You're gonna go to the first round and get eliminated and make the school look bad,'" said 13-year-old Lamarre St. Phard.

Christina Jue/Courier Comics ©2007Raman Rataul/Courier Comics ©2007Bryant Yuen/Courier Comic ©2007

Berthe Morisot with a Bouquet of Violets,
a portrait by Édouard Manet, dated 1872
Berthe Morisot (January 14, 1841 – March 2, 1895) was a painter and a member of the circle of painters in Paris during the nineteenth century, who became known as, the Impressionists.
In 1864, her work began to be admitted for exhibition in the highly esteemed Salon de Paris.

Sponsored by the government and judged by academicians, the salon is the annual juried exhibition of the best new paintings and sculptures, the official art exhibition of the Académie des beaux-arts in Paris. Her work continued to be selected for exhibition in the salon for ten years before, in 1874, she joined the "rejected" Impressionists in the first of their own exhibitions, which was foundered by Cézanne, Degas, Monet, Morisot, Pissarro, Renoir, and Sisley. It was held at the studio of the photographer, Nadar.

See examples of Morisot's art at the WebMuseum

Saturday, January 13, 2007

McClatchy-Tribune News Service
(MCT)


01/06/07 -Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
shakes hands with U.S. service members during
Iraqi Army Day, a celebration marking the 86th
birthday of the Iraqi army, at the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 6. The
event was attended by military and civilian
leaders from both the United States and Iraq.

DoD photo
The following editorial appeared in the Dallas Morning News on Tuesday, Jan. 9:

President Bush will present his new Iraq strategy in a televised address to the nation Wednesday evening. All indications are that he will advocate a "surge" — the Pentagon prefers the odd term "plus-up" — of U.S. troops into Baghdad in an attempt to stabilize the capital, thereby making it more possible for the Iraqi government to get sectarian violence under control.

That's the theory, anyway.

By Margaret Talev
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)


George Miller, Representative to the 7th
Congressional District, including Solano and
Contra Costa counties,sponsored the bill which
would raise the federal minimum wage.
Watch
Rep. Miller speak to the House of Representatives,
via CSPAN and www.house.gov.
WASHINGTON —The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 by 2009, giving millions of poor Americans who work their best prospects in a decade to earn higher standards of living.

The legislation, which passed 315 to 116, doesn't include tax relief for small businesses, which President Bush says must be part of any increase he signs. Many Republicans say any such wage hike must be matched by incentives for small-business employers, particularly in the restaurant industry, which they say could lose the most when the minimum wage is raised.

By Dan Robinson, VOANews.com
Capitol Hill


Secretary of Defense Robert Gates faced sharp
questioning from both Democratic and Republican
members of the House Armed Services Committee
hearing about Iraq on Capitol Hill in Washington,
D.C., Jan. 11, 2007.

Defense Dept. photo by
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen
President Bush's plan to send more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq in a temporary surge to help the Iraqi government fight insurgents has been met with sharp criticism from majority Democrats.

In the official Democratic response, Senator Richard Durbin said the president is ignoring the advice of his military commanders, and the will of Americans.

"Escalation of this war is not the change the American people called for in the last election," he said. "Instead of a new direction, the president's plan moves the American commitment in Iraq in the wrong direction."



By Paula Wolfson, VOANews.com
Washington


President George W. Bush prepares to sign
H.R. 5946, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Reauthorization
Act of 2006, Friday in the Oval Office at the
White House. President Bush is joined by, from
left, Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, Sen. Olympia
Snow of Maine, Rep. Nick Rahall of West
Virginia., Rep. Jim Saxton of New Jersey, Rep.
Frank Pallone of New Jersey; Rep. Don Young of
Alaska, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos
Guiterrez and Rep. Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland.

White House photo by Paul Morse
President Bush says mistakes have been made in Iraq, and more U.S. troops and economic aid are necessary.

The president unveiled his new Iraq strategy in a long-awaited address to the nation Wednesday night. "The new strategy I outline tonight will change America's course in Iraq, and help us succeed in the fight against terror," he said.

Mr. Bush left no doubt he believes the stakes are high, and the setbacks of the last year in Iraq must be reversed. He vowed to set a new course. "The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people, and it is unacceptable to me. Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do. Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me," he said.



Ernest Edward Kovacs (January 23, 1919 – January 13, 1962) was a creative and innovative entertainer from the early days of television. His on-air antics would go on to inspire TV shows like Laugh-In, the Uncle Floyd Show, Saturday Night Live and TV hosts like David Letterman.
Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Kovacs became a pioneer of television comedy as a distinct medium; earlier television comedians mostly continued comedy styles of vaudeville, film, or radio.

His shows were innovative for their time because of their ad-libbed routines; experimentation with video effects (including superimpositions, reverse polarity, and reverse scanning which flipped images upside down); the use of quick "blackouts" and running gags; abstraction and non-sequitur; and a willingness to break the "fourth wall" by allowing viewers to see activity beyond the set - including crew members and, on occasion, outside the studio itself. He would also talk to the off-camera crew, or introduce segments from the control room.

Read more about the Ernie Kovacs show from the Museum of Broadcast Communications website.

Friday, January 12, 2007

By Jessica Rosales and Dana Llarena, Courier Staff Writers

Thousands of high school students from around the country began arriving Friday afternoon for their chance to give speeches and take part in competitive debates in the 13th annual Martin King Jr. Invitational forensics tournament, also known as the MLK Tournament, at Logan.

The MLK Tournament will be held from4 p.m. today until Sunday evening, in honor of the late civil rights hero Dr. King. This tournament is the largest debate event west of the Mississippi River and the largest high-school-based forensics in the United States.

"King lives," said nationally acclaimed Head Coach Tommie Lindsey, founder of the event. "Even in death, he lives through speech and debate."


Students from Mission San Jose High School's forensics team arrived Friday afternoon for the start of the MLK Tournament. (Courier Photo)
By Jezza Pimentel, Courier Sports Editor

Masoud Mohammadi
Courier Photo
Logan's boys varsity basketball team made a great comeback Wednesday night as they won against the Washington Huskies. The Colts holds a record of 5-12 during pre-season and 2-1 for MVAL games.

The Huskies showed up for the game, hoping that they would win and emerge as second place team in the Mission Valley Athletic League. Both teams played a hard fought battle, but in the end, it was the Colts that came out on top.



ACTIVITIES:
Come watch the boys soccer teams tomorrow night as they host Washington. Jv at 4 pm, and varsity at 6.

Tired of CST’s taking your non-Logan headgear? Come to Colt Necessities in the Career Center during lunch where you can purchase a Logan beanie and any Logan gear, and get a free binder with purchase.

Interested in track & field? Sign-ups are in the Weight Room M,W,F after school!

By Jack Mathews
New York Daily News (MCT)

Normally, movies scheduled for the first months of the year are like stand-ins at a Broadway musical, waiting for the stars to lose their voices so they can have the stage — that is, they're ready to fill the multiplexes soon as interest wanes in the big holiday pictures. Nonetheless, there are still a number of high-profile movies coming up in the mix.

Later this month, Jude Law and Juliette Binoche arrive in director Anthony Minghella's "Breaking and Entering," a drama about the racial tension in a London neighborhood. And Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan star in "Seraphim Falls," an old-fashioned post-Civil War Western.
By Abdul Nawabi, Courier Staff Writer

Freedom Writers, is a gripping, and often inspirational movie taken from the real life story of Erin Gruwell.

Hilary Swank plays the role of Erin Gruwell, a first-time freshmen english teacher at Wilson High School, located in Long Beach, California. She abandons her sure-fire career as a lawyer, encouraged by her successful attorney dad Steve (Scott Glenn), Gruwell takes over a class of hard-case students who at first ignore and ridicule her.

By Rebecca Soltau and Bobbi Maas, Courier staff writers

If you like movies like Bring It On or Drumline, or even TV shows like Fresh Prince, you will love Stomp The Yard. You will find yourself immersed in a world of brotherhood, legacy and, of course, “steppin’”. The movie stars Columbus Short, Meagan Good, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Darrin Henson, Valarie Pettiford, and Brian White.

The film opens in theaters today.


Wild 94.9 provided The Courier with free tickets to the sneak preview showing at the Kabuki Theater in San Francisco for a promotional consideration.
By Stephen Becker
The Dallas Morning News (MCT)

Opening Jan. 19:
THE DEAD GIRL — Unrelated people come together as a woman's murder is investigated.

THE HITCHER — A hitchhiker torments a couple in this remake of the 1986 film.

(c) 2007, The Dallas Morning News.
Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at http://www.dallasnews.com/
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Apple Computer Inc. (MCT)

Top 10 albums on iTunes Music Store for Jan. 9:

1. "Daughtry (Bonus Track)," Daughtry
2. "Continuum," John Mayer
3. "How to Save a Life," The Fray
4. "Dreamgirls (Music from the Motion Picture)," various artists
5. "Oh! Gravity," Switchfoot
6. "FutureSex/LoveSounds," Justin Timberlake
7. "20 All Time Greatest Hits," James Brown
8. "Hip Hop Is Dead," Nas
9. "The Black Parade," My Chemical Romance
10. "Dreamgirls (Music from the Motion Picture) [Deluxe Edition]," various artists

For more information, please visit the iTunes Web site at www.apple.com/itunes/.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

ACTIVITIES:
Come support the boys soccer teams tonight vs League rival Newark Memorial! Jv at 4 pm, and varsity at 6.

Tired of CST’s taking your non-Logan headgear? Come to Colt Necessities in the Career Center during lunch where you can purchase a Logan beanie and any Logan gear, and get a free binder with purchase.

Interested in track & field? Sign-ups are in the Weight Room M,W,F after school!


By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor

The New Year is coming up and 2007 is no stranger to exciting new music from various artists. From Fall Out Boy to 50 Cent and Nicole Scherzinger to Linkin Park, there is a little bit of everything for everyone.

Please note that these are only slated release dates. Album release dates and titles often change.

On February 6, Fall Out Boy will be releasing their fourth album entitled Infinity On High. Twelve songs have already been confirmed to be on this album and the first single is This Ain t a Scene, It s an Arms Race. Check back to the Courier in February for chances to get some free
merchandise and a full album review.

By Veronica Brown, Courier Staff Writer

The James Logan Wresting Team competed at last weekend's Doc Buchanan Invitational, the eighth hardest tournament in the nation. Doc B took place at Clovis High School, where nearly 60 teams competed.

Colin Malcolm and Adrian Gomez, both seniors, were the only Logan Wrestler’s who managed to place. Colin Malcolm was able to take 7th in his weight class of 145 pounds; while Adrian took 8th in his 125 pound weight class.

“I’m really proud of my team because overall I think they did the best they could, but we all have things we have to work on and hopefully we will get them figured out before NCS” commented captain Colin Malcolm.


By Carmen Shiu, Courier Entertainment Editor






Young artists
are set to have
a big year.
Last year was a big year for the musical youth and 2007 will more than likely be not any different. The successes of the 21 and younger from last year show promise to shine possibly even more this year. Last year, there were hits coming out of artists that were known for a few years now, like Ciara, JoJo, and Chris Brown. There were also new artists coming out and are here to stay, such as Huey and Paula DeAnda.

Starting a new dance trend is 19-year-old Huey with his debut single, Pop, Lock & Drop It from HiTz Committee/Jive Records. With a good beat, the entire song is composed of lyrics that talks about Huey being interested in a female and wants to see her pop, lock, and drop it. Writing rhymes and producing beats for upcoming artists is not something new for Huey. In fact,
he began doing all of that since he was only 12 years old. Before Huey was even considered as a legal adult, Huey Records, his own production company, was established with local executive Angela Richardson. Notebook Paper is the title of Huey's new album that will be coming out early this year and it should be an album worth listening.

It is hard to believe, but with all the success she's had, Ciara is only 21 years old. She released her second album, Ciara: The Evolution, in December 2006 and it debuted at #1 beating out Gwen Stefani and Eminem. The album's debut single, Promise, was a different kind of style for Ciara, but it still charted well. The second single will be solely based on the fans choice as they are able to vote for That's Right, Can't Leave 'Em Alone, or Like a
Boy
on her official MySpace (http://myspace.com/ciara). All three of them are potential hits and Ciara will continue her success no matter what.
Alice Stokes Paul (January 11, 1885 – July 9, 1977) was an American suffragist leader. Along with Lucy Burns (a close friend) and others, she led a successful campaign for women's suffrage that resulted in granting the right to vote to women in the U.S. federal election in 1920.

Paul was born into a Quaker family at Paulsdale, her family farm in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. In 1901, she graduated first in her class from the Moorestown Friends School. She later attended Swarthmore College (BA, 1905), the New York School of Philanthropy (social work), and the University of Pennsylvania (MA, sociology). In 1907, Paul moved to England where she attended the University of Birmingham and the London School of Economics (LSE). Returning to the U.S. in 1910, she attended the University of Pennsylvania, completing a PhD in political science in 1912. Her dissertation topic was: The Legal Position of Women in Pennsylvania. In 1927, she received an LLM followed by a Doctor of Civil Law degree in 1928, both from American University's Washington College of Law.

Read more about Alice Paul at the Alice Paul Institute's website.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

ACTIVITIES:
Any boys interested in playing volleyball please come to Open Gym on Monday, Jan. 15, from 3-6 pm in the Old Gym.

Attention swimmers! Anyone interested in joining the swim team this year must attend the swim meeting right after school today in Room 475.

Reviewed by Jessica Stewart, Courier Book Editor

Blood Diamonds by Greg Campbell
Paperback: 280 pages
Publisher: Westview Press; Reprint edition (February 3, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0813342201
ISBN-13: 978-0813342207


“Ismael Dalramy lost his hands in 1996 with two quick blows of an ax. He didn’t—or couldn’t—recall the pain of the blows. But he remembered being ordered at gunpoint to place his wrists on a wooden stump dripping with the blood of his neighbors who were writhing on the found around him trying to stem the flow of blood from their arms or staggering away.”


With this gory introduction to his book, Greg Campbell pulls you in and refuses to let you go before he gets his message across to you. Sierra Leone was consumed by a war over diamonds for over a decade, with the RUF, Kamajors, and the government all fighting each other for power over tiny little stones. It is horrifying, engrossing, disgusting, and very well-researched. It is definitely an excellent read.
By Dana Llarena, Courier Staff Writer


Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (October 5, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316160172
ISBN-13: 978-0316160179


Isabella Swan, “Bella”, was your typical seventeen-year-old who left behind her mother and step dad in Phoenix to move back to Forks, Washington with her father.

While living in a town where it never stopped raining and going to a high school where the student body is less than 400, Bella adjusts herself to blend in with the other students. Being the new girl she felt uncomfortable being the center of attention, but after meeting some new friends as the day went by they all went to lunch. As soon as she enters the cafeteria she sees a group of five teenagers, sitting together at one table, one particularly caught her eye. His name was Edward Cullen.

By Ann Doss Helms
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tango and his two penguin daddies won't face a formal review from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, CMS officials said this week.

The district stirred up unwanted international coverage last month by banning "And Tango Makes Three," a picture book that some say promotes homosexuality. Superintendent Peter Gorman said top staffers mistakenly sidestepped CMS process and pulled the book from four elementary school libraries after a few parents and Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James questioned the controversial but true story.

Editor's Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights materials recently arrived, or soon-to-arrive, in the Media Center's collection.

Devil in the Details: Scenes From and Obsessive Girlhood, By Jennifer Traig
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (September 14, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316158771
ISBN-13: 978-0316158770
Hardcover: 256 pages


From www.hachettebookgroupusa.com:
Being a teenager is hard enough. Jennifer Traig's adolescence took angst to new heights, adding a layer of obsessive-compulsive drama that made ordinary mortifications like bad hairstyles and fashion errors feel like the good parts. Devil in the Details is her unforgettable, hilarious, wrenching account of growing up weird.

Jennifer Traig's adventures in obsession began at the age of twelve, when her religious studies introduced her to a body of rules that she hadn't known existed. This unleashed a level of religiosity completely alien to her upbringing. Psychiatrists call this disorder scrupulosity-her family just called it strange. Fervent prayer was only the beginning. On a given day, Jennifer might be putting all her possessions in the washing machine to cleanse them of the pork fumes emanating from the kitchen. Or clipping the lawn according to Old Testament regulations. Or covering her hair with Kleenex while she maintained her constant state of prayer.


Ethan Allen (January 21,1738 – February 12, 1789) was an early American revolutionary and guerrilla leader during the era of the Vermont Republic and the New Hampshire Grants. He fought against the settlement of Vermont by the Province of New York, and then for its independence in the American Revolutionary War.

Biography
Allen was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, the first child of Joseph and Mary Baker Allen. Ethan was the oldest of the eight children. He was the only one to be born in Litchfield, since the family moved to Cornwall shortly after his birth. His brother, Ira, figured prominently in the early history of Vermont. Joseph Allen was the leader of a rebellious group of land owners and speculators who held New Hampshire title to land grants in the New Hampshire Grants. New York, which held substantial claim to the area, refused to honor the New Hampshire titles and sold competing titles to different people, who generally did not live in Vermont. This led to open rebellion among the population in much of Vermont. In April of 1755, Joseph Allen died, leaving Ethan to take care of the family farm and title claims, which made him very upset.

Read Ethan Allen's essay Reason: The Only Oracle Of Man, A Compendious System Of Natural Religion, free from libertyonline.com.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

ACTIVITIES:
Attention Swimmers! There is a mandatory swim meeting right after school tomorrow in Room 475.

Eat at Mexico Lindo tomorrow and support the boys soccer team. See the boys soccer players for more details

Interested in badminton? Come to Room 66 tomorrow to sign up for the Logan badminton team. Everyone is welcome.

Nearly two hundred Logan students spent most of Tuesday morning in the Alfonso Rodriguez Gym taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, better known as the ASVAB, in order to get some insight about what they're good at.

The ASVAB is the most widely used multiple-aptitude test in the world. There are three versions. Approximately 900,000 students take the high school version of ASVAB each year. The test is offered at more than 13,000 high schools and post secondary schools in the United States.


Proctors monitor the 186 juniors and seniors who took the ASVAB Tuesday morning. Courier photo



By Margaret Talev and Ron Hutcheson
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

WASHINGTON — President Bush set Wednesday night for the unveiling of his new Iraq war plan, an announcement certain to touch off a bruising battle with Congress over his expected proposal to dispatch more U.S. troops to Iraq.

Democrats on Monday reiterated their pledge not to cut off money to ground troops, but they were considering a range of other ideas to counter the Bush plan, including cutting off funding for private contractors profiting from reconstruction efforts.

They also may vote on resolutions recommending that Bush demand measurable progress from the Iraqis or begin redeploying U.S. troops. Such resolutions failed in the previous Congress, but Democrats now have two factors working in their favor: majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate, and more Republicans than a year ago who might be willing to support a phased withdrawal.

At the White House, Bush and his advisers worked on a draft of Wednesday's speech and braced for a fight with Congress. The prime-time speech, expected to last about 25 minutes, will kick off an intensive White House effort intended to shore up support for the war. Recent polls have shown that 72 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Bush has handled Iraq.




By Bill Glauber
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MCT)

MILWAUKEE — You are an American and you surf the Internet, listen to music, watch television (oh, boy, do you watch TV), play videogames and even read books, magazines and at that old standby called a newspaper.

So, have you ever added up all your media time? Put a price tag on all that spending for cable, books, videogames and other assorted media items?

It turns out that in 2007, American adults and teens will spend an estimated 3,518 hours — or nearly five months each — plus $936.75 per person consuming media.
By Jackie Burrell
Contra Costa Times (MCT)


Kelly Revak (right) gets Sarah
Rothberg (left) and June Bott,
both UC Berkeley students, to eat
her pop art Pop Tarts, as she plays
SF Zero game on the UC Berkeley
campus in Berkeley, California,
Friday, December 8, 2006.

(Gregory Urquiaga/Contra Costa Times/MCT)
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Hearts hammering, 40 blue-tagged runners raced through the night, darting frenetically through hotel lobbies, weaving down increasingly empty streets and crawling, Ninja-style, through Golden Gate Park to flee an ever-escalating number of pursuers.

The adrenaline rush only subsided when they crested the last hill and caught sight of the roaring bonfire and glistening surf of Ocean Beach, and smelled the unmistakable sweet scent of s'mores.

There was a time when the words "alternate reality" conjured up visions of friendless geeks clutching game controllers. But there's another world of alternate reality where games like SFZero happen in the real world, not on-screen.
Jeanette (Jennie) Jerome, known also as Lady Randolph Churchill (January 9, 1854 – June 9, 1921) was an American society beauty, best known to history as the mother of British prime minister Winston Churchill.

Early life
She was born at 197 Amity Street, in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn, New York[2]. She was the middle daughter of financier Leonard Jerome and his wife, Clara Hall.

Leonard Jerome, a man who loved opera almost as much as he loved opera singers, named his second daughter after the Swedish soprano Jenny Lind. Unluckily, her mother didn't discover the motive why Leonard Jerome liked the name so much until it was too late.

Read the My Darling Clementine: The Story of Lady Churchill, by Jack Fishman, free from the Internet Archive.

Monday, January 08, 2007

By Rebecca Soltau, Courier Staff Writer

Though the crime rate is low at the James Logan campus, there is an entire class devoted to the study of forensic science, nicknamed the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation class.

A popular course, the class focuses on preparing students for a career in forensic science by introducing them to scientific methods, field and court procedures, and proper paper work skills necessary for solving crime.
ACTIVITIES:
“Chemistry Tutors” needed for Logan’s after school tutoring program. Earn Community Service hours with flexible days and hours, Tues-Wed-Thurs from 3:00-4:30 and Saturday 8:30-12:30. Please come by room 77.

Attention swimmers - anyone interested in joining the swim team must attend our meeting this Thursday after school in room 475.

ACTIVITIES:
“Chemistry Tutors” needed for Logan’s after school tutoring program. Earn Community Service hours with flexible days and hours, Tues-Wed-Thurs from 3:00-4:30 and Saturday 8:30-12:30. Please come by room 77.

Attention swimmers - anyone interested in joining the swim team must attend our meeting this Thursday after school in room 475.

By Nancy A. Youssef
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)


Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. (right),
commander of Multinational Force Iraq,
passes the Multinational Corps Iraq colors
to Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno,
commander of 3rd Corps, in the MNCI
transition of authority ceremony Dec. 14.

Photo by Spc. James P. Hunter, USA
BAGHDAD, Iraq — In his first wide-ranging interview, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq conceded Sunday that a military "surge" escalation would not be enough to rescue Iraq, advocating economic and political changes as well, as top Democratic lawmakers in Washington stiffened their opposition to any escalation of U.S. troop strength.

Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno said he believed that a combination of jobs, provincial elections, anti-militia legislation and stronger Iraqi security forces could stop the nation's plunge toward all-out civil war. Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, his predecessor, spelled out the same approach before his departure one month ago.

By echoing his predecessor, Odierno's comments raised concerns in both Washington and Iraq that the U.S. war effort is exhausting old tactics that haven't worked. Indeed, many Iraqis do not trust that a new Baghdad security plan can change their circumstances because the U.S. and Iraqi government have touted at least five such plans before, all of which failed to stop the violence.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Anne Chen/Courier Comics ©2007Christina Jue/Courier Comics ©2007
Raman Rataul/Courier Comics ©2007Susan Muramoto/Courier Comics ©2007
By George Stalk
(MCT)

Economic soothsayers are closely watching 2006 holiday sales figures to gauge the strength of the economy.

But sales are not the only figure experts should be watching. They also should be looking at the amount of goods returned for refunds. This figure has been growing rapidly in recent years and is eating significantly into companies' profits.



Saturday, January 06, 2007

By Jonathan V. Last
The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)


Brit and JT in earlier days.
Photo from hairweb.de

Dear Diary:
I'm worried about Brit-Brit. I know I shouldn't care — splitting with her was totally the right thing to do. I did not want Nick Lachey's la-lame la-life. Getting sympathy dates and deodorant commercials. No thanks. I've got my art. I've got the sexy back. And I don't care what everyone says about Cameron — in the right light she's totally cute. At least she keeps her pants on in public.

But Brit-Brit is out of control. And I'm worried it's my fault.

First off, I never dreamed she'd rebound with Vanilla Ice. Or that she'd pop out a couple of kids. And start wearing mom jeans. It was all so sad. And then, on top of everything, to have Xtina going around telling reporters, "It's a shame Britney doesn't go to any shows or awards anymore, because they are so much fun, even if you're not nominated for things." Whatever. It's called magniloquence, blondie. Give it a try.





Idris Davies (Born in Rhymney (then Monmouthshire) on January 6, 1905 - Died, Rhymney, April 6, 1953) was a Welsh poet, originally writing in Cymraeg, but later writing exclusively in English. He is now known mostly for The Bells of Rhymney, a ballad on a mining accident on the pattern of the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons that was set to music by Pete Seeger, and became a folk rock standard.

He was born and brought up in Rhymney, Caerphilly, Wales, and began work as a coal miner on leaving school at 14.

Read Idris Davies' poem, "High Summer on the Mountains," free from PoemHunter.com.

Friday, January 05, 2007

By Diamond Floyd, Courier Staff Writer



Dreamgirls is a fresh, new modern musical, almost like the new Chicago, with songs that really stick. The movie stars Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson, Sharon Leal, and Danny Glover.

Dreamgirls tells the story of three aspiring singers on their way to fame and fortune. The road that leads to the promised land, however, gets bumpy along the way. Hudson delivers an awesome performance. She really is crazy-good here, the kind of woman who can knock down a building by singing at it.

By Diamond Floyd, Courier Staff Writer

If you're in the mood for a "when two worlds collide" kind of movie, The Holiday is actually more like a "when the two people from the different worlds switch places" kind of movie. If you're into THAT, then this is the movie for you. It's not only cute, but we actually get to see Jack Black at his sweetest. The movie stars Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Rufus Sewell, Edward Burns, and Shannyn Sossamon.

Uptight and unable-to-cry movie trailor auditor Amanda (Diaz) breaks up wit her unfaithful boyfriend, finds Iris' (Winslet) online offer of switching houses for the winter holidays and later hooks up with Iris' brother (Law). Winslet is an emotional wreck who, after finding out that the love of her life is not only playing with her emotions, but is also engaged to be wed, switches houses with Amanda from her cozy cottage in London to L.A. and spends the movie palling around with 100-year-old Wallach until a neutered version of Black shows up.
By Jacqueline Truong, Courier Staff Writer

As we count the days of the new year of 2007, so, too, are we counting down the top ten movies of 2006. In retrospect, most of the movies on my list are actually quite profound if not depressing. From the emergence of a major 9/11 film, such as "World Trade Center," to a tragic tale of a father trying to make ends meet as he and his son face the harsh reality of the world in "Pursuit of Happyness," indeed, this year's indelible movies give a new meaning to an old-fashioned good time at the movies. Without further ado, here begins the count down...

1. X-Men III: The Last Stand
This action film focuses on the battle between Professor Charles Xavier's X-men and Magneto's Brotherhood when a cure is finally discovered to treat these genetic mutations and, eventually, eliminating it entirely.


By Kate Folmar
San Jose Mercury News (MCT)


Governor Schwarzenegger works from
his hospital room in Santa Monica and meets
with his staff at the Capitol via
videoconference Dec.28.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — He may have trouble cutting a rug while clutching crutches, but a hobbled Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to christen his second term in inimitable style next week with a lavish, $1 million-plus celebration.

In contrast to his somewhat subdued 2003 swearing-in, the governor's aides are planning a two-day fete this time around. The highlight will be Schwarzenegger's swearing-in at 11 a.m. Friday in front of about 3,000 guests at Sacramento's historic Memorial Auditorium, where guitarist and singer Jose Feliciano will perform the national anthem.

The governor, who broke a thigh bone in a recent ski accident, has made no attempt to scale down the festivities. Schwarzenegger said in a recent statement released by his staff that he is looking forward to the event "even if it means I have to walk into my swearing-in ceremony on crutches."

By Adam Lisberg
New York Daily News (MCT)


Muslims ritually slaughter a sheep as part
of their observance of Eid al-Adha.
(Photo
from hikmah.ekhwan.com)
NEW YORK — Saddam Hussein may be a devil but in the end religion almost saved him — at least for a few days.

Iraqi authorities were reluctant to hang the deposed strongman during the Eid al-Adha holiday, which begins today and marks the end of the annual hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca.

Iraqi law — written during Saddam's dictatorship — bars executions during a religious holiday.

So there was some thought on whether to give Saddam a reprieve if the hanging did not take place before the new day dawned.
By Hassina Obaidy, Courier Staff Writer

In the new family comedy,"Night at the Museum," Ben Stiller plays Larry Daley, a divorced father who struggles to find a job so he can impress his son, Nick (Jake Cherry).

When he finally accepts a job as a night guard at the Natural History Museum in New York, he realizes that this is no ordinary job. On his first disastrous night, the giant T-Rex skeleton goes missing, but he finally finds it by the water fountain, eager to play a game of fetch with one of its bones.

Not only did Larry have to deal with the T-Rex, but he had to deal with mischiveous capuchin monkeys, marauding Huns, a rival cowboy played by Owen Wilson, and a Roman General Octavius played by Steve Coogan, not to mention the African wild animals and life-size wax historical figures like Teddy Roosevelt played by Robin Williams.
By Diamond Floyd, Courier Staff Writer

The Good Shepherd, another 3-hour movie epic now available for your viewing pleasure. The movie, which is directed by and co-stars Robert DeNiro, features Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, Tammy Blanchard, and Michael Gambon.

When I first saw the previews of this movie, I was interested, but at first, I didn't quite get what the movie was all about right off the bat. When I finally went to go see it, it was much longer and more interesting than I had expected. DeNiro has really outdone himself.

Matt Damon plays a CIA agent rather well; he's serious about his work and a little surprising at times. There were times, however, that Damon was downright cold.
By Diamond Floyd, Courier Staff Writer



Charlotte's Web — it's a story that people of all ages know and love. The recent release of the new film had fans (like me!) anticipating it with high hopes. With a star like Dakota Fanning, and voice talents from Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, and Dominic Scott Kay, the movie should really be a crowd-pleaser.

Based on the best-selling childrens' novel written by E.B. White, the film tells the story of a little girl named Fern (Fanning) who saves a runt pig from an untimely death and develops the unlikeliest of frienships. Because of her concerned parents, Fern is then forced to send Wilbur across the street to live on her uncle Zukerman's farm. Wilbur (Kay) is, at first, an unwanted stranger in the barn, but soon makes a friend high up on a rafter, a spider named Charlotte A. Cavatica (Roberts).

Thursday, January 04, 2007

By John Chau, Courier Staff Writer

When the crystal ball completed its descent in Times Square on 12-31, the year of 2006 was officially over. In this way, we bid farewell to another year of the Dubya’s political blunders, crazed gamers battling each other for their ps3s and odyss-wiis, Hillary Clinton’s bid for presidency, North Korea and Iran’s nuclear advent, and teenagers worldwide killing each other with alien-made motorcycles and chainsaw bayonets.

With the above information, one can reasonable assume that the top news stories of last year would be controversial and certainly deep impacting. However, according to Yahoo! News, the following are the ten most searched News stories of the year:

1.Steve Irwin dies
2. Anna Nicole’s son dies
3. Iraq
4.Israel and Lebanon
5.US elections

ACTIVITIES:
“Chemistry Tutors” needed for Logan’s after school tutoring program. Earn Community Service hours with flexible days and hours, Tues-Wed-Thurs from 3:00-4:30 and Saturday 8:30-12:30. Please come by room 77.

CLUB:
GSA meets this Friday at 3:00 in Room 52. We are having a white elephant gift exchange.

By Patrick Pilapil, Courier Staff Writer

Ghostface Killah - Fishscale

Ghostface Killah s fifth solo album proved to be his best. On Fishscale , Ghost was on top-notch form with his wordplay while he took on a variety of subject matter, something very rare in today's hip-hop scene.


My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade

Heroes in the emo subculture, guilty pleasure for the rest of us. My Chemical Romance combined modern pop punk elements with the rock opera format for their 2006 release, The Black Parade, resulting in one of the most compelling albums of the year.

By Aamer Madhani and Tom Hundley
Chicago Tribune
(MCT)


Saddam Hussein died
on the gallows Saturday
Saddam Hussein's trials and his march to the gallows were intended to be turning points in Iraq's history in which justice was delivered on behalf of hundreds of thousands of people killed by the dictator's brutal regime.

But for many human rights advocates and legal experts who followed the trials, Hussein's rapid conviction and execution instead left them with doubts about the emerging Iraqi government and the fairness of its judicial process.
Max Eastman (January 4, 1883–March 25, 1969) was a socialist American writer and patron of the Harlem Renaissance, later known for being an anti-leftist.

He was born in Canandaigua, New York; both his parents were members of the clergy. Eastman attended Williams College in 1905, two years later moving to Columbia University to work toward a Ph.D. in philosophy. Settling in Greenwich Village with his sister, Crystal Eastman, he became involved in political matters, helping to found the Men's League for Women's Suffrage in 1910. While at Columbia he was an assistant in the philosophy department as well as a lecturer with the psychology department. After completing the requirements for his degree, however, he refused to accept it, leaving in 1911.

Read The Nice People of Trinidad, an article by Eastman published in 1914. Read more of Eastman's writing, free from the Max Eastman Archive.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

By Rick LaPlante, New Haven Unified School District Public Information Officer

The Board of Education on Tuesday night received a report on Professional Learning Communities, teams of educators meeting during collaboration time to work on improving student achievement.

Using an inquiry cycle - "plan, teach, reflect, apply" - these grade-level and subject-matter teams seek to answer four "critical corollary questions": 1) What is it we expect students to learn? 2) How will we know when they have learned it? 3) How will we respond when they don't learn it? 4) How will we respond when they already know it?

ACTIVITIES:
“Chemistry Tutors” needed for Logan’s after school tutoring program. Earn Community Service hours with flexible days and hours, Tues-Wed-Thurs from 3:00-4:30 and Saturday 8:30-12:30. Please come by room 77.

CLUB:
GSA meets this Friday at 3:00 in Room 52. We are having a white elephant gift exchange.

Reviewed by Jessica Stewart, Courier Book Editor

Chrismukkah: The Official Guide to the Worlds Most-Beloved Holiday by Gersh Kuntzman
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Sasquatch Books; 1st edition (September 26, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 157061489X
ISBN-13: 978-1570614897


“All around the country, Americans are celebrating Chrismukkah like never before. The Goldstein-Sanchezes of Millburn, Massachusetts, ring in the holiday by eating extra-salty potatoes on a large mound of dirt. The D’Allesandro-Weinbergs of Rapid City, South Dakota, mark the day by singing Chrismukkah carols to their neighbors and returning perfectly suitable presents. The Gifford-Halberstams of Miami, Florida, bring a twist to the Measuring of the Children—a Chrismukkah ritual since the 1300s—by placing the record of everyone’s height in an envelope, mailing it to themselves, and not opening it until the next Chrismukkah, at which time they delight in comparing the new season’s statistics with those from the year past. And Evan Tarnovsky-Jones of Hibbing, Minnesota, simply sits in a dark room and smokes hashish.”



Editors' Note: Each week, The Courier spotlights new materials arriving, or soon to arrive, in the Media Center.

Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Viking Adult (February 7, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0670033766
ISBN-13: 978-0670033768


From Penguin Books:
Garnering a vast amount of attention from young people and parents, and from book buyers across the country, Smashed became a media sensation and a New York Times bestseller. Eye-opening and utterly gripping, Koren Zailckas’s story is that of thousands of girls like her who are not alcoholics—yet—but who routinely use booze as a shortcut to courage and a stand-in for good judgment.

With one stiff sip of Southern Comfort at the age of fourteen, Zailckas is initiated into the world of drinking. From then on, she will drink faithfully, fanatically. In high school, her experimentation will lead to a stomach pumping. In college, her excess will give way to a pattern of self-poisoning that will grow more destructive each year. At age twenty-two, Zailckas will wake up in an unfamiliar apartment in New York City, elbow her friend who is passed out next to her, and ask, "Where are we?" Smashed is a sober look at how she got there and, after years of blackouts and smashups, what it took for her to realize she had to stop drinking. Smashed is an astonishing literary debut destined to become a classic.


By Jessica Stewart, Courier Book Editor

The year 2006 has been a great year for books, non-fiction and fiction alike. The favorites appear to be about dieting and food, the “sectarian violence” in Iraq, and memoirs. Sadly, these topics do not interest me, so I find myself reading books published before 2006. Although I have read many excellent books this year, only five of them really stand out in my mind.

My favorite by far is The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. It is the very well written story of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. The insanity of Dr. W. C. Minor is quite clear, but so is his humanity. He is also very clearly an intelligent man, quite possibly the Einstein of the English language. It really shows how there is more to a person who is not right in the head than just their mental illness. It is definitely the best book I read all year.

By Michael Matza
The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)

Jimmy Carter has a bull's-eye on his back. Critics are taking shots. But that's OK, the former president said, because the rising volleys aimed at him are boosting sales of his latest book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."

More important, the burst of publicity focuses on issues he feels need an honest airing, issues widely hashed over in Israel, but given short shrift in the United States.

Targeted by defenders of Israel who say the title is inflammatory and the text full of spin, Carter, 82, is under attack for a volume whose goal is "to provoke debate" about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and offer proposals, via U.S. mediation, to revive peace talks that have been frozen for six years.
ZaSu Pitts (January 3,1894 (?) – June 7, 1963) was a United States movie actress. She was one of the more popular stars of the early motion picture era.

Name and birth date
Her unusual first name was coined from parts of the names "Eliza" and "Susan", female relatives who both wanted Pitts's mother to name the child after them. In many film credits and articles, her name was rendered as Zazu Pitts or Zasu Pitts. Though her name is commonly mispronounced as "Zazz-oo", in her 1930s film shorts with Thelma Todd (see below) it is clearly pronounced on-screen (by Todd) as "ZAY-sue;" her name was also consistently pronounced "ZAY-sue" during her recurrent guest appearences on Fibber McGee and Molly's show in 1939.

Watch Zasu Pitts' in the 1942 film, So's Your Aunt Emma, streaming free from the Internet Archive.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

ACTIVITIES:
“Chemistry Tutors” needed for Logan’s after school tutoring program. Earn Community Service hours with flexible days and hours, Tues-Wed-Thurs from 3:00-4:30 and Saturday 8:30-12:30. Please come by room 77.

MISCELLANEOUS:
Congratulations to the boys soccer team for their strong showing in the Winter Classic over winter break. There were strong performances by Juan, Yo, Filiberto,Jorge, Felipe, Ante, Arnoldoand Greg.

By Frank Davies
San Jose Mercury News (MCT)

WASHINGTON — The next Bill Gates is more likely to come from China or Japan than the United States, according to a poll of Americans' Internet attitudes released Wednesday.

Most Americans polled also think that new camera and Internet technologies are turning the United States "into a nation of voyeurs and paparazzi."


By Ray Dequina, Courier Opinion Editor

The last chapter of this epic saga saw the valiant hero (me) foiled at every turn by fate most cruel. Like brave Odysseus, I found myself with nary a hope of reaching my goal, but instead of returning to my kingdom, my prize was a cheap piece of plastic that plays video games. And I'm not brave or striking. And I'm more than certainly not getting any from "evil" pseudo-goddesses whose only want is to keep me all to themselves. And I'm not Odysseus. Yeah, big difference there.

Monday, January 01, 2007

By Korie Wilkins
Detroit Free Press (MCT)

DETROIT — A secretary in Dearborn, Mich., Bonnie Monroe never expected to play a role in saving the lives of soldiers in Iraq.

But the idea to help came from watching a news story — about Silly String.

The pressurized foam spray is being used to detect trip wires around bombs.
By Kenneth R. Bazinet
New York Daily News(MCT)

WASHINGTON — Political operatives and officials from both parties usually take long lunches, long weekends and long vacations in the two months right after an election — win or lose.

But fired up by the outcome of the November midterm elections, Democrats scrapped that practice and are going after potential 2008 Republican candidates.

Maria Edgeworth (January 1, 1767-May 22, 1849) was an Anglo-Irish novelist.

Maria Edgeworth was born at Black Bourton, Oxfordshire, the second child of Richard Lovell Edgeworth and Anna Maria Edgeworth nee Elders. On her father's second marriage in 1773, she went with him to Ireland, where she eventually was to settle on his estate, Edgeworthstown, in County Longford. There, she mixed with the Anglo-Irish gentry, particularly Kitty Pakenham (later the wife of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington), Lady Moira, and her aunt Margaret Ruston of Black Castle. She acted as manager of her father's estate, later drawing on this experience for her novels about the Irish. Edgeworth's early literary efforts were melodramatic rather than realistic. One of her schoolgirl novels features a villain who wore a mask made from the skin of a dead man's face. Maria's first published work was Letters for Literary Ladies in 1795, followed in 1796 by her first children's book, The Parent's Assistant, and in 1800 by her first novel Castle Rackrent.

Read Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth, one of 17 of her works available free from Project Gutenberg.