US Vetoes U.N. Security Bill to Call Israeli Settlements “Illegal” – Friday, Feb 18th, 2011

Alec B.

New York: U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N., Ambassador Susan Rice, vetoed a Security Council vote to declare Israeli West Bank settlements illegal. The vote would most likely have resolved the entire issue and brought peace to the region.   The permanent Palestinian observer, Said Riyad Mansour, stated in a press conference after the veto, "The proper message that should have been sent by the Security Council to Israel, the occupying power, is that its contempt of international law and the international community will no longer be tolerated…. We fear, however, that the message sent today may be one that only encourages further Israeli intransigence and impunity. This must be remedied."  

President Obama, called Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas on the Thursday prior to the Security Council vote to come up with another solution other than a public hearing and vote in the UN. 

The situation has become “awkward” for the U.S. according to Mrs. Rice.  The U.S. is torn between its long-standing relationship with Israel and its newfound relationship with Palestine. "In recent days, we offered a constructive alternative course that we believe would have allowed the Council to act unanimously to support the pursuit of peace …. We regret that this effort was not successful and thus is no longer viable."  

Mr. Abbas, like other Middle Eastern leaders, is afraid to show weakness of character due to outbreaks of revolt seen in Mubarak’s Egypt, Kaddafi’s Libya, and other nations across the Middle East.  He does want to “move strongly from Friday’s vote,” said a source in the PLO after the meetings adjourned on Friday.

Rice reconfirmed the U.S. stance Friday, saying after the vote that Friday's veto should not be "misunderstood to mean we support settlement activity. On the contrary, we reject in the strongest terms the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity," she said.

After Friday’s vote, the Israeli and American governments announced new plans to begin talks after September’s peace negotiations fallout.

Solar Powered Skin?

By Mayze T.

Think about the robots of the future. Your mind might conjure images of futuristic robot maids, robotic cars, and other such fanciful items. These developments may seem like something out of a science fiction novel, set in the distant future. However, scientists are working on a variety of uses for robots that, although they seem fantastic, could become a reality very soon.

            One of these incredible inventions came, very recently, from a researcher at Stanford by the name of Zhenan Bao. He has developed a substance that could take the place of skin for people who have prosthetic limbs. Not only is this robotic skin flexible, but it is touch sensitive and even solar powered. This would allow people with prosthetics to actually feel when people high-five them or brush against their arm.

            This skin is made of a combination of elastic and rubber, molded in the form of very tiny triangles, which are not visible on the surface of the skin. The skins with the highest level of sensitivity can even tell when a fly lands on the arm. The purpose of the solar cells is to allow the skin to be stretched to cover the joints, and to bend with the limbs themselves. This is a remarkable progression in the field of robotics, and could have myriad benefits in the years to come.

The King’s Speech

Peter E.

Recently, The King’s Speech has amazed crowds everywhere.  This fantastic film is about King George VI of England,  He was born with a who stuttered and endured this  challenge all his life.  Although he

was not first in line to be king, he  ended up replacing his brother, Edward, who abdicated.  As King, George had to make many speeches to the general public especially in a time of war.  His stutter made this very difficult.  Although reluctant to do so, King George employed a speech therapist to help him.  This movie is the story of his struggles learning to speak without a stutter.  It is filled with inspiration, suspense, romance, history, and strong bonds of friendship.

Titus Andronicus

Nick M.

This New Jersey band takes its name from a gory Shakespeare play, a highly appropriate premise for their music.  Wild, flying tunes zoom around in one song, while a thumping drum entices one to tap his/her foot along with the music, or even air drum.  Their second album, The Monitor, is named after the first ironclad Union warship produced for the Civil War, and after buying a hard copy (support the band!) and listening through, I found that the Civil War theme recurs throughout the album, with excerpts of speeches from Abraham Lincoln in the song “A More Perfect Union” (see below).  More passages, albeit recreated, from Walt Whitman, William Lloyd Garrison, and Jefferson Davis ensue as bookends for various songs, giving the album a historic feel, although the music is far from it. 

Notable songs include “A More Perfect Union.” This opener is one of the top songs on the album.  An insanely catchy guitar riff leads the song with pounding force; Patrick Stickles (vocals, guitar, and a plethora of other skills) belts out lyrics about leaving behind New Jersey and his regret in doing so. “Four Score and Seven” - again we see the energy this album carries… along with another killer guitar riff.  “The Battle of Hampton Roads”—named for the pivotal naval battle in the Civil War—is a fourteen-minute epic, bagpipe solo and all. 

The Monitor is definitely a solid album.  With crashing cymbals and pounding beats, led by a fluctuating, distorted guitar that carries riffs above and beyond, this album is one of the best purchases I have made in a long time.  Another pleasant surprise: the booklet that comes with the album is very entertaining to read.  Also, underneath the disk is a list of “Suggested Further Reading”—about half a dozen books involving the Civil War.  You just can’t get this stuff on iTunes. 

Mine in Yours – Cold War Kids

Sarah H.

Cold War Kids has always been a favorite of mine – “Hang Me Up to Dry” and “Audience” have always been on my playlist. But with the release of their newest album, Mine is Yours, I realized how truly amazing the band is. Mine is Yours shows a deep side of Cold War Kids you probably didn’t know existed, as well does Bulldozer. Though most songs are quite new, “Royal Blue” and “Louder Than Ever” bring you back to the old stuff. Personal favorites are “Broken Up” and “Louder Than Ever.” From start to finish, this album shows how different a band can be but also how consistently wonderful. If you are a fan of the Kings of Leon, the Script or the Black Keys, you will probably enjoy this album as much as I do.

The Grammy Awards

Caroline F.

The Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 13^th were awesome! The results were very surprising and upsetting for girls like Avery Lowe, Jaz Rodriguez, and Charlotte DeLana, as Justin Bieber didn’t win a Grammy for Best New Artist. I was annoyed that Lady Antebellum won so many Grammys over a lot of other people who were better than them! Personally, I really think that John Mayer should have won a Grammy, even if he looks kind of like Johnny Depp when he hasn’t gotten any sleep. Charlotte Murphy liked how Lady Gaga came out of an egg during her show. There was a technical difficulty on the Red Carpet because apparently the egg was supposed to open on the Carpet so that she could walk in her awesome outfit, but the door was stuck and she was trapped inside the egg! She also liked when Mumford and Sons played. Jaz liked Justin Bieber’s “tuxedo outfit.” Charlotte DeLana loved the performances by all the musicians. Peter really liked the Black Keys and thought Lady Gaga’s new song was great.

Squash

By Lucy B.

If you are a squash player you have probably been asked the question, “So, squash is kind of like tennis…right?” Wrong. This question, or comparison, bothers me a lot, especially when people who have never played squash before say “yes.” This article is to set straight these false rumors about squash being like tennis.

Squash is played indoors. Two players are closed into a four walled, one ceiling, and one floored room. The back wall is usually glass so that the spectators can see what is happening on court. Each player has a racquet shaped like this:  (this is the type of racquet I have).

However, the racquets come in different colors,

models,and grip lengths. The players play with one

small black ball, which is only allowed to bounce once before it is hit, or it can be volleyed. The ball must hit the front wall before it hits the ground. However, the ball does not have to be directly hit to the front wall. Players can hit the ball off the sidewall or back wall to the front. Likewise, the ball can hit the front wall then the sidewall and bounce, or hit the front wall then the back wall before bouncing.

            There are boundaries to where the ball can be hit. The back, side, and front walls all have red lines on them distinguishing when a ball is hit out. A ball is out if the player directly hits the red out lines, or hits above them. The front wall has two other lines: one that represents the lowest area the ball can hit for the serve to be in, and one that marks the top of the tin. If a player hits a ball below the service line, or directly hits the service line, the serve is called, “down,” which means the point/serve is given to their opponent. If the ball is hit into the tin, the ball is down and the point goes to the opponent.

            The floor is split in half by a red line, and the half closest to the back wall is split in half again by another red line. The “T” that these two lines make is the center of the court, and the point that players run back to after every shot. In each quarter box there are smaller boxes called service boxes. At least one of the servers’ feet must be inside the box during the serve. The opponent stands in the other quarter to return the serve.

            Scoring in squash is very different compared to scoring in tennis. One player must win 11 points to win the game. However, if the score is 10-10 the players must win by two to win. Matches can have scores as high as 21-19 before someone wins. To win the match, a player must win 3 out 5 games. Some kids win 3-0, others win 3-2. Match length is very unpredictable, as is the length of the games.

            I hope this cleared up some of the rule

Congratulations to the winner of the

Spelling Bee, Alyssa T.!

Runner up, Matthew P.

The winning word for Alyssa was “luminescent”

Spelled l-u-m-i-n-e-s-c-e-n-t.

Some other words from the blockbuster round were “simultaneous” and “camouflage”

Ask Boris

Q:  My friends and I are fighting, what do I do?

A:  Sometimes you have to make decisions for yourself.  It will make you a stronger person.

Q:  I like popsicles.

A:  Good for you.  There are no popsicles in KGB. 

Q:  Why is there a Colbert and Boris?

A:  That is like asking why is there KGB… you do not ask, you accept. 

Q:  I think I love someone!  It’s you! Do you like me?

A:  Emotions make weak people.

Q:  Why is box smashing so dangerous?

A: Depends on what kind of box… Russian box very dangerous.  Other box not so much.

Q:  Why do only jocks play football?

A:   Because jocks are not smart enough to be in KGB

Q:  Who are you?

A: Who are you?

Q:  If you could be any animal for a week, what would you be and why? I would be a porcupine because they have spikes and they shuffle funny.

 – Porcupinia

A:  If you really want to know, I would be a chameleon… master of disguise.

Q:  What is your favorite thing to do in Russia? 

- Europe Guy

A:  Base jumping in Siberia.  Very cold there. 

Winter Break

Thomas S.

I spent my winter break working on applications. I know that my fellow ninth graders did the same.  For all the sevies and eighth graders that spent their time relaxing, I hope you enjoyed it! Next year you will be working on applications as well. I really don’t like to work, especially over breaks. I could have been sleeping or playing hockey. I cannot wait to find out where I’m going next year, which will hopefully relieve some stress I know we’ve all been feeling.  Some people also went on vacation; I didn’t go on vacation. I can’t decide if I’m glad I didn’t go on vacation or not. Although applications took a long time to finish, I know it will all pay off next year.

Ms. Oakes: Extreme Game Show Contestant!

Mayze T.

Ms. Oakes is acting as the director of secondary school placement this year, filling in for Mrs. Victor. Essentially, she is helping seventh, eighth and ninth graders find their next schools. When she isn’t helping all of us out, she likes reading, going to craft fairs and antique shows, and watching movies and TV. Her favorite shows include 24, Glee, Grays Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, and Friday Night Lights. Her all time favorite movies are Gone With The Wind, My Cousin Vinny, Dr. Zhivago, Schindler’s List, and Mr. Holland’s Opus. Before she came to NCCS, she was a chemistry teacher at Staples High Schoolfor ten years. She was in admissions at NCCS for seventeen years. Ms. Oakes says that she is “the proud mother of two Country School graduates.” Her son, Ryan, is a professional magician, and he has performed at school several times. Her daughter, Lauren, is currently in a PHD program at Stanford, studying environmental issues. Ms. Oakes also has two cats. Her favorite books are Three Cups of Tea, The Kite Runner, and Water for Elephants. Ms. Oakes says that this year she is enjoying working with the very students that she first met during the admissions process and “seeing how wonderfully they have grown and matured in their years here at Country School. That’s one of the most fun things about the job…being in the energy of the Upper School building and working with parents and students that I’ve known for years.” A little known fact about Ms. Oakes: in 1980 she was a contestant on the $20,000 Pyramid!

Congratulations to the Middle School for winning the Green Cup Challenge!

We hope you choose something delicious for the special lunch prize!

The Ghosts of the Upper School

By Jack L., Brandon S., Maggie S., and Olivia S.

Unusual things have been happening recently within the Upper School. In Ms. Zamora’s room, mysterious sounds have been coming from the roof. We do not know for sure, but we think that there is a haunting going on. The other day, our sidekicks, Midge and Liver, noticed the lights flickering on Parents’ Day. We think that the ghosts are trying to hypnotize us and turn us into zombies, so that we will obey them and be their minions. The ghost is tampering with the clock and he is trying to make us stay at school longer. Many teachers helped us in our investigation, including Mr. Lilley, Mr. Giggi, Ms. Fri, Ms. Purcell, Mr. Delehaunty, and Mr. Fredo.

            Mr. Lilley said it was probably the ghost of a past Latin teacher. He told us to go down and check out the old building. We are pretty sure that he was just trying to get us to leave him alone.

            Then we went down to Mr. Giggi’s room. Mr. Giggi said that the lights had been flickering and that his printer was going crazy, printing things out that weren’t supposed to be printed. The light sensor wouldn’t go off till he was at his desk.

We then went over to Ms. Fri’s room. She said that there were no strange noises or occurrences, but there were strange people right in front of her. Despite this, she did say that things were disappearing from her room.

Then, we went over to Ms. Purcell’s room… Crazy things happen in this room every night. After school, she always hears noises from her room. Then Harry Potter flew by on his Firebolt. Aside from that, Alice Hudson has been shocked by lights. Ms. Purcell thinks that she is being watched by her dead animals, and they mingle in the middle of the night. She is pretty sure that there is a spirit in the science room. We are pretty sure that this spirit is a dementor, for dementors cannot be seen by muggles. Therefore, we decided that the Ghostbusters crew is a bunch of Squibs.

Our final stop was to Mr. Fredo’s room. We saw him out in the hallway and then we asked him “Have you noticed anything strange going on in the Upper School?”

He then replied, “The only strange things I’ve seen is you guys…”

“Too Much Caribbean Adventure”

Kate C.  

            Well, this was an amazing day. We woke up late, had an amazing brunch, and spent the entire day at the beach. Oh! And we found a sea turtle. It was a perfect day in the Caribbean. The only way to end it was to drive off a cliff. Wait, what?

            Five years ago, my family took an amazing spring vacation in St. John. We had a big house, we went swimming, and we went hiking and did all those other cool Caribbean activities. But we also had our not-so-cool moments.  One time we went on an Easter night hike to the top of the highest mountain in St. John and on the way down, all of our flashlights ran out of battery power and it was pitch black. My mom also fell on a cactus, but that was pretty funny. Not so funny for her, though. But the worst thing that happened was on the way to our beach house.

We were driving up the cliff that the house was on top of in our new rental jeep. My dad had to drive slowly because the cliff was extremely steep. The narrow, one lane dirt road was like a giant spiral staircase, and it was very scary to look out the window on the cliff side of the road. It wasn’t very pretty on the other side of the road either because there was a giant cliff wall there. Suddenly, my dad stopped. I was scared because, being seven, I thought we were going to roll back down the cliff. Then I rolled down my window and looked out in front of us. There was a giant cement truck blocking us! Now this doesn’t seem very bad, but the road was barely wide enough for one car, much less two.

            All of a sudden, everyone started honking and screaming and yelling. My mom started yelling at my dad to back down the cliff and let the truck through, and my dad was yelling at her that if he tried to do that we would fall off the edge of the cliff. The truck driver was honking at us to do something, and my sisters were yelling at everyone to “shut up.” So by now, being the youngest, I was crying. This was because I hated to see people yelling and mad at each other and because most likely, whatever we did, we were going to die.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: The New Egypt

By Alec B.

Cairo, Egypt - After 18 days of protest, President Hosni Mubarak decided to resign. The president, under fire because of economic failure and embezzlement of public funds, had created a dictatorship out of a democracy. After coming into power in 1981, he led his country through the good, the bad, and the ugly. He was the last of a long line of extended presidents. His predecessors had led the country to modernization. The opposition leader, Mohamed El Baradei, who led the UN search of WMD’s in Iraq, said, “it is a dream come true.” In an interview over the phone with Al Jazeera, he also said, "I can't tell you how every Egyptian feels today.  We have been able to restore our humanity ... to be free and independent."

Mubarak resigned on Friday, February 11, leaving many happy.  Tahrir Square, the home-base of the protest movement, was in absolute joy.  “Jumping, joy, crying, happiness and other emotions were present,” said NBC foreign news correspondent Richard Engle.   The end of an empire brings the dawn of a new one. The Supreme Council of Armed Forces  confirmed the resignation and “is analyzing the situation of the country before choosing the next leader.” In the front running are defense minister Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi and Mr. El Baradei. 

The future of Egypt seems uncertain. There are several issues that must be considered. There are hopes that trade will come out of Egypt and turn the country back into a powerhouse. The issue of continuing friendship between Israel and Egypt is important.  Also,  the Muslim Brotherhood, sometimes called a terrorist group, has more power than before and it is possible, according to the Christian Science Monitor that  “Israelis are increasingly concerned that (Mubarak’s) departure will empower the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and threaten Israel’s longstanding peace treaty with Egypt.” “This is history in the making,” says NCCS’s own Mrs. Post. Only time will tell.  For now, it seems all the Egyptians can do is dance in the street.

Letter From the Editors

Welcome to The Column.  This is New Canaan Country School’s student newspaper, in case you’ve forgotten, because there hasn’t been a new issue since November.  Well, finally we have a new issue and it’s right here in your hands and fantastic. You should read all the articles from our dedicated writers.