The Cougar Call

Mission: Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol Review

Jared B-6th Grade — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:12:58 +0000

Mission: Impossible 4: GhostProtocol is a stylish and absolutely exhilarating thriller. Unlike many espionage thrillers, it does not rely on any gimmicks, just excellent direction for breathtaking scenes. But one scene will beremembered for years to come: when Tom Cruise climbs up the side of the glass Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. The slow climb and the thunderous silence is undoubtably riveting because everybody knows that if he makes one mistake, he will perish. All of the action scenes in this movie are exceptional, and the stylish plot is utterly stunning. This hair-raising thriller might be the foremost installment in the Mission: Impossible series, if not one of the leading espionage thrillers of all time.

What Does Your Star Sign Say About You?

Laura N-7th Grade — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:51:43 +0000

Star signs say a little about everyone and are based on when one is born, usually a certain time period between months. There are twelve star signs in total: Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius. It is common to ask, “What’s your star sign?” but what are the real interesting things about these star signs and why are they so popular? How do horoscopes know how one’s day is going to go just by knowing their star sign?

astrologycom.com

All star signs have a basic part that relates to the world. These elements can be fire, earth, water and air. Aries, Leo and Sagittarius all have fire; Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces all have water; Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn all have Earth; and Gemini, Libra and Aquarius all have air as their basic part. These basic parts are important about star signs, since one may notice one’s personality by judging off the facts of the basic part their star sign has. Fire in a star sign is supposed to bring ambition, loyalty, confidence, a personality of warmness and the spirit of never giving up in a person, as water brings out more abstract feelings in a person. It is said that people who have water as their basic element like to help others and make people feel better when they are upset. They are giving people who are very popular and looked highly upon by others. They don’t have very “thick skin” and can get offended very simply, yet they don’t show these feelings, since they don’t want to worry others. It is also quite possible that people with the water sign can use their smart minds to deceive and manipulate people, since they have such high social class, know how to handle situations, and are so experienced with life. Air, however, is quite different. People who are said to have air as their basic part are said to be highly intelligent and confident in their skills since they have so many. They only want things to happen for the best and to bring goodness to people, as they are quick-thinkers. Lastly, people with earth as their basic element are very respectful and like only the cream-of-the-crop sorts of things, such as clothing and food. They are affected depending on what type of atmosphere they’re in. So for example, if someone with earth as their basic part despises winter, their whole mood could change because of that. Be sure not to get on the nerves of someone with earth as their basic part, though. People with earth as their basic part are always the first ones to thoroughly express their fury.

Star signs have been going around for many generations,and could be facts or just be myths in general. Yet no one has tested the theories to see if they are true or not. Try it for yourselves–ask your friends what their star sign is and use this information to discover what your friend’s personality may be up against.

The Museum of the Moving Image

Hallie R-7th Grade — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:57:11 +0000

whyleaveastoria.com

The Museum of the Moving Image is located in Queens, New York–more specifically Astoria. When you walk into this museum, it has a modern feel. It’s almost all white, and on the wall a projector is playing with moving images of peoples’ faces. (It was a little odd for me to be welcomed by peoples’ faces.) As you venture into the museum, you will see a cascade of steps that lead up the second floor, where the exhibit begins.

The current exhibit that is featured is about Jim Henson, who was the creator of the Muppets. They have all sorts of displays there and different things to do. When you finally got up the staircase, you will see a giant screen with claymation and rocks doing all different kinds of funny, entertaining things. When I went with my family, I thought that it was going to be childish, but actually it was an amazing experience.

They had actual Muppet characters on display; for instance, they had one of the many Ms. Piggies, Dr. Bunson Honeydrew, Beaker, Rowlf, and other characters as well. On the walls were sketches of how the character would look and also television screens that showed the earlier versions of The Muppets. Jim Hensons’s Muppets first appeared in commercials, and that is how he earned money to start Sesame Street and continued on to make The Muppets movie and other shows that featured the Muppets. His characters portrayed people he knew personally; so each of the characters he created had a different personality trait and also the production of the fabrication of the Muppets had to portray their personality.

As that exhibit ended, another one began. In this new exhibit there were more “hands on” things to do. There were vintage cameras that you could look at. Also when you first walked in, it showed how the first stop motion movies were shown, including The Man in the Moon and others. (If you saw the movie Hugo, The Man in the Moon had an important role.) Another activity was on a computer that allowed people to make their own stop motion movie with the props provided. If you like the movie you make, you can send it to your e-mail to show other people.

Another fun thing to do was voiceovers in a sound booth. There were two screens: one computer screen and one television screen. On the computer screen, there were around six choices for movies. Once a visitor has chosen the movie, it will show them a clip from the movie with dialog. After listening to the clip, the computer will cut out one of the actors or actresses lines and allow the visitor to say them in its place. They get one time to rehearse it and another time to record it. In the end, on the television screen, it shows the same clip, but with the voiceover instead of the actor’s/actress’s. My family and I had a really fun time doing these as we modified the dialog.

Also, if you are interested, there are reruns shown of The Muppet Show, which my parents remembered. We saw shows with guest stars Linda Carter and Christopher Reeve in the movie theater located within the museum. The shows run all day and are only about thirty minutes long. They are enjoyable and funny.

In the end, this is a great museum to go to, and it is close to good restaurants so if you are ravenous for lunch, you can go to one of the restaurants. There are plenty of restaurants around and many ethnic foods. My family and I went to Arepas, a Venezuelan restaurant. Thanks for reading this article on The Museum of the Moving Image. I hope that you’ll get to go there and enjoy it as much as I did.

The Museum of the Moving Image

3601 35th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11106

(718) 784-0077

http://www.movingimage.us/

Star Wars in 3-D!

Macon S-7th grade — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:52:53 +0000

photo from movieovermind.com

Hello out there! We here at Cougar Call have recently found out about a special Star Wars offer. At the AMC Empire 25 theater, you can take part of a Star Wars 3-D release party. On Saturday February 11th from 11am to 6pm, you can take part in this party and meet the cast, hang out in the Lego area, try out Star Wars game demos, and get your face painted! If you decide not to come to party make sure you go to the movie in 3-D because you will receive free Star Wars gifts! Hope to see you there!

See this link for more info and see the address to the theaters also!

234 West 42nd St. New York, NY 10036

1 Garden State Plaza
Paramus , NJ 07652

http://go.amctheatres.com/star-wars-special-event

MKA Foreign Language Selection

Taylor L-5th Grade — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:49:20 +0000

In sixth grade every student will be able to attend a different language then they are doing now. The choices are Latin, French, Spanish, and Chinese. Each student will have to choose wisely because this will be the language that they will take through 8th grade and hopefully at the MKA Upper School. Anyone who is good at singing should attend Chinese because there are many different accents that require a change in voice tone. Any person who wants help in other languages including French and Spanish should take Latin. Finally anyone who wants to speak a language that is commonly spoken around the world should take French or Spanish. One student says they want to take Spanish because it is easy to remember Spanish words. Another student says he wants to take Latin, but a friend threatens to kill him if he does not attend Spanish. Make sure you send in the language form by next week–but remember the form does not ensure you will get a spot in the class. No worries, it is not the end of the world if you do not get a spot in the language.

Super Bowl XLVI

Rohan S-7th Grade — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:45:59 +0000

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/46

The most-watched game on television: the Super Bowl. Super Bowl 46 will we held in Indianapolis, the home of the Colts. The New York Giants and the New England Patriots will face of for the second time in five years. In Super Bowl XLII (42) in 2007, the Giants beat the Patriots 17-14 in a 4th quarter thriller. Who will be victorious? Make sure to watch this Super Bowl on Fox on Sunday, Feb 5, 2012. The kickoff is scheduled for 6:30pm E.T.

EPIC Cougar Call!

Ian G.-7th Grade — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:10:48 +0000

The Band Concert: Fifth Grade

Taylor L-5th Grade — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:07:35 +0000

In the spring of 2012, the fifth grade band will be performing two songs: “Andilucía” and “Liberty Celebration!” Fifth grader Jack J said, “I think it will be good.” Another band student, Connor L, said, “I don’t know because I am not good at ‘Andilucía.’” Ms. Larkin is making sure all of the fifth grade band is practicing their parts and is doing well.

Student-Faculty Basketball Pre-Game

John G-7th Grade — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:59:39 +0000

This is the year for the 7th annual student faculty basketball game. A big tradition here at MKA, large donations are made by the money we raise. This year, MKA will be supporting Team Zoey primarily, but also the Montclair Volunteer Ambulance Department. Team Zoey supports kids born with progeria; this causes children to age 7 to 10 times faster. Now lets get the happy stuff: t-shirts will be sold the week of the 15th. These can be worn on any spirit day. The coin drive jars are out and the student government urges you to bring in as much money as possible; the only rule is that you can not bring pennies.

This year’s players include:

Faculty/Staff Men

Randy Kleinman
Ken Smith
Leon Shade
Gary Pacheco
Reshan Richards
Alex Gordon
Tom Fleming
Andrew Powers
Larry Canales
Richard Sunshine
Ed Thompson

Faculty/Staff Women

Shanie Israel
Alina Yurkovsky
Alise Shuart
Nichole Foster-Hinds
Amy Fossett
Catherine Gaynor
Jessica Bishop
Shiva Behradnia
Susan FitzGibbon
Guada Cabido
Laura Zimmerman

Girls’ and Boys’ ”A” and “B” Basketball Teams

Chinese New Year 2012

Rohan S-7th Grade — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:49:48 +0000

http://www.childbook.com/

The Chinese New Year was on Jan 23, 2012. We are currently in the magnificent year of the dragon, specifically the water dragon. The dragon is the mightiest creature of all the zodiac animals and places 5th in the cycle.

Here is some helpful information from the web site ChineseZodiac.com:

Dragons have character traits like dominance and ambition. Dragons prefer to live by their own rules and are usually successful by themselves. They’re driven, fearless when challenges come up, and willing to take risks. They’re passionate in all they do and they make things larger than life. Unfortunately, this passion and enthusiasm can leave Dragons feeling fatigued and oddly, longing for more.While Dragons frequently help others, they like to thing on their own and try not to ask for help. Others are attracted to Dragons, especially their colorful personalities, but truly, Dragons prefer to be alone. Perhaps that is because they’re most successful when working alone. Their need to be alone can come across as arrogance or conceitedness, but that is rarely the case. Dragons have very short tempers.Health

Considering their hard-working nature, Dragons are usually healthy overall. They do get stressed and suffer from time to time tension/headaches, likely because they risk so much . Dragons could gain from adding mild activity into their lives. Things like yoga or walking can help both their minds and their bodies.

Career

Dragons would rather lead than be a follower. Jobs that allow them to work freely are good choices. Some good careers include: inventor, manager, computer analyst, lawyer, engineer, architect, broker, and sales person.

Relationships

Dragons are easily intoxicated;, but won’t give up their independence. Because they have quick, sometimes vengeful tempers, their partners need to be tough-skinned. Dragons enjoy others who are intriguing, and when they find the right partners, they’ll usually commit to that person for life.

Dragons and the 5 elements

Metal Dragons – Years 1940 and 2000

Metal strengthens this already strong sign. Metal Dragons are more determined and they’ll fight for what they believe in. They enjoy the company of those who are competitors and are at the same league. They’re true leaders and usually find plenty of others willing to follow.

Water Dragons – Years 1952 and 2012

Water calms the Dragon’s fiery nature. Water Dragons are empathic. They don’t have the need to always be right. Their decisions, if well-researched, are usually better since they are willing to take help and use other ideas.

Wood Dragons – 1904 and 1964

Wood Dragons also are willing to entertain the opinions of others. They can be artistic, and Wood Dragons enjoy being creative and innovative. They get along with others, but will always be the dominating force.

Fire Dragons – 1916 and 1976

A Fire Dragon’s emotions can flare instantly. Fire Dragons put themselves on pedestals, and because they react quickly and recklessly, they sometimes make wrong decisions. Fire Dragons need to slow down and keep their tempers in check as that’s when they’re best.

Earth Dragons – Years 1928 and 1988

More rooted in the ground, Earth Dragons make better decisions because they act more rationally. Earth Dragons are level-headed and able to control their behaviors. They’re more supportive of others, but they prefer being admired by others.

Compatibility

Dragons are compatible with the Monkey or Rat and incompatible with the Ox and Goat.

http://www.chinesezodiac.com/dragon.php

Rohan Singh