Opinion

The World and How We Affect Its Health

January 3, 2012
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The World and How We Affect Its Health

We are the users of the world that we have lived on for hundreds of years. Even though we think that everything should be luxury for us, we don’t deserve it. Even now, the fires from many different places and gases are burning through the ozone layer. The ozone layer is a protective filter that surrounds our planet. It is our responsibility to protect the ozone layer. By saving it, we are saving ourselves. See, the ozone layer is what protects us from the harmful waves of the sun. Even though you may think this not true, it is. The sun projects different gasses that the ozone layer blocks. The world is harmed by more than just gas and other pollutants. It is inhabited by us. Humans have evolved from a world with no technology to a world where there seems to be more technology than trees. The world before technology was filled with better wonders than gray, metal cities that are not beautiful to the eye.  The number of trees cut down each year is around 3 billion to 6 billion each year! (About the size of Ireland.) There are about 400 billion trees in the world left. If

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Bonnaroo 2011 Lineup Has Some Surprises

May 10, 2011
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Bonnaroo 2011 Lineup Has Some Surprises

Festivals like Bonnaroo are one of the best things about music. When dozens of bands from dozens of different genres come together and rock away the weekend, good times are had by all. In the past few years, Bonnaroo has come to define the American summer concert, and this year they do not disappoint. While the headliners are some of the most intelligent (and Grammy nominated) acts of this decade, the festival’s real charm lies in the diversity and the depth of the lineup. It’s not every day that Eminem plays on the same field as Primus, and The Black Keys don’t have too much in common with Gogol Bordello. But that’s what keeps the festival from getting boring. While still featuring trippy jam bands and sensitive hipster acts, Bonnaroo is also able to pull off punk, metal and rap. AND IT WORKS. Not many other festivals can brag about  quality and range quite like this. In comparison, this year’s Lollapalooza looks like a cheap knockoff, copying the headliner and falling short in all other categories. But festivals are evolving. When these two festivals both have Eminem as a headliner (something that would never have happened 10 years ago), it is evidence

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Metal Facts and Brutal Truths

April 21, 2011
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Metal Facts and Brutal Truths

Decade of Aggression While naysayers will claim that metal reached a new low in the 2ooo’s, anyone who is willing to scratch the surface will discover that metal actually reached new highs.  One thing that metalheads have always bragged about is the diversity and originality of the genre. But for a genre that bases itself on breaking free of trends, modern metal has done its fair share of submitting to what is considered popular. Consider metalcore. Ever since Killswitch Engage released The End of Heartache, metalcore and deathcore have become the “fashionable” styles of metal. Alas, gone are the days of leather and denim, instead replaced by eyeliner, melodic singing, and Hot Topic.  But is diversity really gone from the genre? Ask anyone at a Gama Bomb concert, and they will tell you that metal has entered a new era of expansion, experimentation, and brutality. As anyone who has heard Evile’s new album Infected Nations, can attest to, thrash is still alive and kicking. New School moshers Municipal Waste and Bonded By Blood continue to incite the pit, while Old School thrash bands like Overkill and Megadeth are returning heavier than ever.   Death Metal has changed over the years,

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Is Facebook Removing the Face from Social Interaction?

April 20, 2011
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Is Facebook Removing the Face from Social Interaction?

By Ben R, 8th Grader As the minutes tick by from ten to eleven pm, there seems to be only one place to be, Facebook. And whether it’s checking status updates, reading news feed, or posting that one last sarcastic comment on your friend’s wall, time is not of the essence.  Let’s face it, most have probably been heare, staying up late until they get the indulgence of seeing that one “notification,” and while I personally don’t use Facebook, there are, no doubt, many that find themselves glued to the screen, craving a social connection. In the “Facebook” era of social networking, communication and constant output is a necessity in order to stay well-connected. And although social-networking sites typically encourage connections among strangers; like on MySpace, where people converge through common interests, or online dating, where the whole point is to meet and greet new faces; Facebook is geared toward helping people maintain existing relationships. The site basically serves as a self-updating address book, keeping users connected no matter their geographical position. “There are people from my past life that I never would have tracked through 10 job changes and 20 e-mail changes,” says Nicole Ellison, an assistant professor at Michigan State

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Eighth Grade Williamsburg Trip

March 29, 2011
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Williamsburg Article Last week, the eighth grade went to Williamsburg, Virginia, to research their topics for the colonial research paper. From Tuesday to Friday, they toured the town and independently interviewed people for information on their topics. In Williamsburg, the scholars of American history interviewed people from all over the town, asking questions about things ranging from the colonial fashions to the architecture of the capitol building. The first day, after the students got to the school at six in the morning and after surviving the grueling eight-hour bus ride, they stopped in Jamestown for a quick tour about the Powhatan Indians and the early years of the colonies. Following the tour, the students unpacked in the hotel and went to dinner at a local restaurant. After they finished their meal, they went to Williamsburg for a nighttime activity. Over the four days, the nighttime activities ranged from ghost tours to dancing lessons, all in Williamsburg and all led by people dressed in classic colonial garb. Following that, they retreated to their hotel rooms for some well-needed sleep. The second day, the students went to Williamsburg and partook in a three-hour tour around the village, learning about many public buildings,

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Dear Cougars

May 26, 2010
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Dear Cougars, School is winding down and the year is coming to a close. And what a year it has been! The Cougar Call staff introduced a new online format for the paper that has been well received.  The paper is readily available online to students and friends of MKA. In addition, news can be shared faster and it supports our green initiative. Next year’s staff will surely continue to build upon this new format. A lot has also happened this year in the middle school. Each grade contributed to the community through community service projects. The annual student- faculty basketball game was a huge success in raising funds for earthquake victims in Haiti. MKA middle school athletic teams have persevered throughout the year with many wins. The addition of the Sportsmanship Awards in P.E. have also been successful in that they have encouraged students to be more active in physical education. Each grade has also taken on new projects in the classroom. Fourth graders experienced the excitement of the middle school, ready to take on the next four years. Fifth graders have eagerly dug their way through the study of ancient Egypt and archaeology. The sixth grade is in

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“A Funny Thing Happened at the Upper School”: A Theatrical Review

March 9, 2010
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“A Funny Thing Happened at the Upper School”: A Theatrical Review

From the opening welcome by director, Ms. Hoppe, to the resounding final number, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was magnificent. Performed by the Montclair Kimberley Academy Upper-Schoolers, Forum was fantastic. The energetic opening number, performed by Rob G., promised “tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight,” and a show filled with talented actors. The performance was perfectly accompanied by a fantastic pit band. The actors of Forum delivered a musical that had the audience laughing from beginning to end. The opening scene showed an over-controlling, over-protective wife and mother, played by Julie L., preparing for a journey to her mother’s home. Julie, a strong soprano, played the part with gusto. She orders her head slave, Hysterium, to keep her son, Hero, away from the House of Marcus Lycus. The house of Marcus Lycus is an establishment known for the many pretty women that reside there. Hero, however has spotted a beautiful maid in the window and promises freedom to his personal slave, Pseudolus (Rob G.), in exchange for her. Pseudolus, infatuated with the idea of freedom goes to unbelievable lengths to procure the beautiful lady. Unfortunately she has already been sold. From that point forward the story of

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Oscar Nominations

February 19, 2010
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Oscar Nominations

There is a buzz in the air these past few weeks that no movie lover can ignore. The Oscar nominations are out. These nominations could decide the importance of a movie for the creator, the press that the stars of the movie will get and most of all, they recognize the best movies of the year. Right now is the time of year when people can talk about and compare movies that they loved. It is also so exiting to try to guess who will win and seeing who’s pitted against whom. And this year is no exception. Meryl versus Sandra! Kathryn Bigelow with her bomb squad versus her ex-husband, James Cameron, with his blue creatures! This batch of nominations seem to the most exciting in years! One of the most anticipated Oscar nominations is for “best picture.” The most important award of the night, it brings together acting, editing, directing and writing, and decides which movie has the best of it. This year the nominations are: The Hurt Locker, Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, Inglorious Bastards, Precious, A Serious Man, Up and Up in the Air. These movies are so different from each other it hard to

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Hogwarts Haven

January 21, 2010
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Hogwarts Haven

Over the last 14 years, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has become a worldwide phenomenon. Due to its success, Universal Studios asked Rowling if she would be willing to let them make a Harry Potter theme park. She generously agreed, and Universal Studios has been working on the HP Park for the past two years. Moving full speed ahead, the theme park will be opening in Spring, 2010, at Universal Studios, Disney World in Florida. The Harry Potter theme park is guaranteed to truly bring the magic of the books within people’s reach for the first time ever. One of the attractions is Hogsmeade, a wizarding town close to Hogwarts. While visiting Hogsmeade in the park, you can visit many shops mentioned in the HP series including Honeydukes, a sweet store where you can grab any candy from Chocolate Frogs to Cauldron Cakes. Another store you will have the chance to enter is Zonko’s Joke Shop, where many of the prank-toys from the series are in stock. While passing through Hogsmeade, you can even have a wand select you, just as the phoenix wand selects Harry, at Ollivander’s Wand Shop. Before leaving town, be sure to stop by the Owlery,

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The Hunger Games vs. Twilight

January 19, 2010
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The Hunger Games vs. Twilight

As of late, it seems like The Hunger Games could be the next Twilight series. Although their plots differ greatly, many basic ideas are the same. For example, both books have multiple installments and both have two important male characters. In Twilight, there is a rivalry between Jacob and Edward, and in The Hunger Games, there’s Peeta versus Gale. This is such an important part of the books. If teenagers and young adults have the ability to take sides, they can talk and talk and talk about the book. Of course, the more that people talk about a book, the more popular that it will become. Many students argue about whether Twilight is better than The Hunger Games and vice versa, but one thing is for sure: these books are most definitely two of the most popular books for teenagers and young adults. Some people tend to argue that the writing in Twilight is lacking in excellence, whilst in The Hunger Games, the writing is much much more rich and detailed. Twilight fans counter by attempting to argue that the plot is stronger in their book. However, those who have read both Twilight and The Hunger Games say that The

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