Op/Ed

Why the Mail Line Drug Bust Story Would Make an Excellent B-Picture

May 2, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Will Amari

Staff Writer

Yes, it happened again. Stupid kids getting arrested for doing stupid things. Former Haverford students, Timothy Brooks and Neil Scott, were incarcerated for running a drug ring on the affluent Main Line in Philadelphia. Apparently the nationwide drug operation, which began in California, has reached students from several other wealthy high schools and colleges.

While every local news reporter rants on about how surprised they are to find out about these delinquents behind bars, I’m resting at home, sipping my coffee, and thinking about how this story carries all the accessories needed for a B-picture.

Its got everything Hollywood wants: young men with great ambition, a rise and fall of an empire, disappointed parents (who are probably reconsidering the whole spending 35,000 dollars on my child’s education is a good idea thing) and of course, drugs, drugs, and lots of drugs! Who doesn’t love a good cocaine flick?

Timothy Brooks is a handsome eighteen year old, who would make a great astronaut-quarterback. He has short brown hair, skyblue eyes, and a one of a kind chiseled chin. If I were a Hollywood producer, the role to play Mr. Brooks would go to Channing Tatum. This would be a good way to track audiences of a younger generation.

However, the person to play Neil Scott would be harder to cast. He’s an older gentleman who, judging by his dark brown eyes and his plain facial hair, would seem like the common everyman. Therefore I give the role to play Neil Scott to none other than Hollywood Superstar, Jake Gyllenhaal.

Mr. Gyllenhaal would work out fine as the straight man in the movie, and it’ll be a dream to see Channing Tatum play the struggling yet ambitious Timothy Brooks.

I think the film would do well (or at least better than Anchorman 2) if lead by a talented director, capable of capturing the deep minds of two unfortunately stupid felons, caught selling drugs, and running a profitable business by the use of text message.

Don’t miss the opportunity to see my next movie on the violence and protesting in the Ukraine. I call it, “The Cold War Part 2: Russia’s Revenge!”

Wolves and Society

April 22, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Claudia Bonitatibus Staff Writer

In 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA), was passed by Congress, and the grey wolves gained federal protection. The goal of this act was to protect and restore threatened and endangered species. The ESA protects both endangered plants and animals. In October 2009 1,361 plants and animals were listed as threatened or endangered in the US.

However, recently there has been controversy over the decision as to whether the grey wolf should still be considered an endangered species or whether it has rebounded sufficiently enough to survive without protection from the ESA. Earlier this year the grey wolves were delisted from the Endangered Species Act. However, there are many environmental groups with complaints

Before the Europeans arrived and started hunting and killing grey wolves there were approximately 2 million wolves in North America. Today, besides those in Alaska, there are only 6,100 wolves in North America. However, counting the number of wolves does not tell us how healthy a population actually is. Wolves have a complex family structure, but stressful conditions lead to a breakdown in wolf communities and although the numbers may look good on paper these animals can’t survive long-term under threat of hunting.

Wolf population has been restored to 10 states, but environmentalists argue that their range should be increased but not necessarily to their previous status. Considering their unpopularity among ranchers it is not surprising that in Wyoming wolves are feared more than in any other state. The Wyoming law treats wolves like coyotes. In the “free fire zone” which comprises 85 percent of the land they can both be shot even if they weren’t bothering livestock. Coyotes can recover from this kind of thinning, but not wolves.

Today’s overpopulation of deer and resultant tick-borne Lyme disease is a direct result of the decline of natural predators. The predators were killed because ranchers felt their livestock were threatened, as with cougars, or they were poached for their desirable pelts. For the wolves it was both of these reasons. Environmentalists offer statistics showing that since the reintroduction of the grey wolf to Yellowstone National Park less sheep were killed on ranches, not more as the ranchers had expected. This is attributed to the fact that wolves are the only effective form of coyote control.

All of this shows that the wolves being delisted would cause conflict. Even though farmers find them a threat, we cannot ignore the simple fact that wolves’ safety is essential to the health of our environment. It is important that everyone is aware of how they benefit nature and society and what would happen if they were to disappear.

March Madness Reminiscing

April 21, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

“COME ON DEKKER!” “SHOOT THE BALL!” “PASS!”

These are common things I hear when trying to go to sleep in my household in march. The hype of March Madness has yet again passed.

My dad, mom, sister, and I are all dedicated Wisconsin Badger fans. This year, with them going to the final four, the excitement was as high as ever. Our family was decked out in red sweatshirts/shirts and choosing our favorite players.

March Madness has a culture to it, and my family loves it. Every year during March I can expect the screams, baked snacks, and wild cheers. It brings my family together (my grandparents came from Massachusetts) and also brings to life old rivals (boo Kentucky).

For the Wisconsin vs Kentucky game, we had 20 people in our living room cheering on the good guys (mostly). The few Kentucky fans were constantly booed and my mom may have threatened to kick them out of the house. Unfortunately they stayed, and Kentucky got a lucky shot for the win.

It was a hard loss, considering the well loved Badgers only lost by one point. Devastated, we all went to bed and reminisced over the great season.

The Badgers are #2 when predicting how good their season will be for 2015. I look forward to the Badgers winning and kicking butt

Netflix Flicks

April 13, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2014-04-13 at 8.58.35 PM

By Nicholas Murray

Netflix is an efficient way to stream shows and movies anywhere. I have recently started to use Netflix to do just this. I (with much obsession) successfully watched everything I intended to watch and much more. There are many good shows to watch on Netflix, but at the same time, there are some shows that I wish were on it, to watch for the first time or to watch more the tenth time. This is an article about two good shows currently on Netflix and one show in particular I would like to see added.

Archer is an animated tv show which features a lot of humor on the mature side. It follows spies from the organization, “ISIS,” with the main character Archer. With its constant “sophisticated” humor, and the total 49 episodes available on on Netflix, it will keep you entertained for a while.

A few weeks ago, a “new” show was added to Netflix, which had many people feeling nostalgic. This show was Pokemon: Indigo League, the original Pokemon series. For many, including me, this was the best out of the following series. Following Ash Ketchum and his pokemon pikachu, we see them battle and befriend other trainers on Ash’s journey to become a Pokemon Master. Featuring the first 52 episodes of the Pokemon series, those who want to revisit their childhood, or those who want to watch it for the first time. can watch it all on Netflix.

One Piece is a very popular anime centering around the pirate Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy ate a Devil Fruit which gave him the properties of rubber. Using his power he sets out to create his own crew in order to find the ultimate treasure, “One Piece,” and become the pirate king. This show has a great blend of humor and tragedy, with each character having a deep backstory that will leave the watcher wanting more. With an astonishing 643 episodes, and no sign of slowing down, it would be great to have this added to Netflix to be watched by all.

Netflix has made my social life a bit easier by allowing me to watch popular shows that my friends obsess over. Anyone who does not have an account, should at least think about doing so. It may not be the best for everyone, but you may find good shows on it like I have, or obsess over the ones that are not on it. It’s your choice.

2015 Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Election: who can beat Corbett?

April 7, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Will Amari

Staff Writer

Have you been watching the local news lately? If so, then you are probably already aware of the upcoming Pennsylvania gubernatorial elections.

While on your way to school, you’ve probably seen a couple of ‘Rob McCord’ signs hanging on a house window. Or perhaps you’ve stumbled up upon a ‘Tom Wolf’ bumper sticker. Yes, it is election time again in Pennsylvania, and liberal Philadelphia wants to see some change.

All the candidates for the democratic primary seem mostly alike. For one, they’re all anti-Corbett. And who could blame them? Governor Tom Corbett, and his conservative team, has done nothing but anger Philadelphians for his support of the oil and gas industry, his preserving of gay marriage laws, and of course, his cutting of public education.

Education and economy seems to be a trendy conversation amongst our democratic nominees. State treasurer, Rob McCord, for example wants to improve the economic struggles of Pennsylvanians, and wants to help every child in the Commonwealth have a fair opportunity to succeed.

U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania, Allyson Schwartz, is primarily focused on kindergarteners. Environmentalist, Kathleen McGinty, wants to reduce class sizes in k-12 schools to a maximum of twentyfive kids. Businessman, Tom Wolf, wants to increase state funding. And everybody is as liberal as they come.

It seems like at this point it’s a waiting game. Every candidate seems to be on Philadelphia’s side, but which one is most suitable for office? Who will be the first candidate to crack? The primary democrats seem to be talking a lot, but now it is time to see if they can walk. Or if not walk, fund schools.

I’m not looking for the candidate who is most liberal, I’m looking for the candidate who can take out Corbett. The Pennsylvania gubernatorial election will not take place until November 4, 2014, but the primaries are just around the corner.

Thus far I have high hopes for either McCord or Wolf. To me they seem most capable of running the state.

However, regardless of who wins the primaries, this election is going to be a tight finish. Pennsylvania overall is generally a red state, and I don’t think many opinions were changed since the last election. What I mean by this, is that Corbett, though unpopular with most Philadelphians, could possibly become our 2015 governor of Pennsylvania.