November 30, 2009

The Voice of the Denver Waldorf High School Volume 2, Issue 3

Illustration by Meril Shane

Chronicles Of Waldorfia
Contents The Thanksgiving Edition
Giving Thanks 1 Giving Thanks, History Aside cide on their ances-
Swine Flu 2 By Sade Moore tors. The relocation,
A Healthy Winter 2 enslavement, and
In December of
trade but ultimately massacres were all an illicit
Did ya know? 2 1620, one hundred and two
proved to be unfaithful motion of gratitude to illus-
The Honeybee Effect 3 people arrived on the May-
when they failed to hold trate the generosity and
flower at Plymouth Rock.
Made in China 4 up their end of the bar- guidance that these tribes
These were the pilgrims
gain. The Native Ameri- offered.
Local Music 5 who had travelled far, pur-
can leaders were insulted Today, Thanksgiv-
suing a new life free of the
The Nutcracker 5 by this uncouth behavior ing is a time when millions
religious bonds they were
and tempers flared. of American families con-
Texting: Cn U Rd? 6 chained with from whence
Though they gregate to honor the tradi-
Glitz, Glamour, and... 6
they’d come. These people
were slow to learn, the tion of their ancestors. We
were agriculturally ignorant
Netflix - Blockbuster 7 settlers were eventually need to remember that this
in the New World, and
Fugitive News 7 able to have sufficient should not only be a time to
struggled to provide for the
crops and could finally give thanks for the land we
3 Baseball Changes 7 colony with only the mea-
provide for themselves. walk upon, but the roofs
ger crops they were produc-
Avalanche Resurgent 8 A year had passed, and to over our heads, the loved
ing. Barely fifty people sur-
celebrate the abundant ones around us, the food on
District Vball Champs 9 vived the winter.
harvest they held a gener- the table, and to also collec-
The Native Ameri-
Pirate Radio Review 9 ous feast. It was the fall tively recognize those in our
cans on the eastern shores,
of 1621 and the pilgrims past; those that have suf-
Horoscopes 10 mostly the Wampanoag
invited the Native Indi- fered and those who are re-
Brain Boggler 10 tribe (which means “people
ans to commemorate the sponsible for laying the
of the dawn”) did not fare
Comic 10 harvest and give thanks foundation for life as we
well from the arrival of
for the blessings they had know it now.
Snowman Puzzle 10 these settlers. With the in-
received. It seemed
troduction of small pox
Crossword 11 an excellent way to
their population halved.
get back on good
Welcome Back 12 Those that survived were
graces, but shortly
Puzzles and Comics 12 forced back from the coasts
after this occasion
and farther inland. Despite
land disputes erupted
the ill treatment, the Indians
Contact the C.O.W. and gruesome battles
believed land was for all
ensued.
Denver Waldorf School humans to share and they
Today count-
940 Fillmore Street offered to trade harvests in
less Native Ameri-
Denver CO 80206 exchange for other materi-
cans choose Thanks-
als when it was apparent the
giving as a day of
303-777-0531 x162 settlers were struggling.
mourning because it
They eagerly agreed to the
is a reminder of the geno-
dwhsnews@gmail.com
 Volume 2, Issue 3 Chronicles of Waldorfia
Page 2

H1N1— The Swine Flu

By Kiele Kirkegaard Did ya know???
H1N1, also known as swine flu, is supporting them. The H1N1 vaccina-
the pandemic sweeping the world. It is tion has opened as a platform topic …that no normal piece
an influenza primarily found in pigs. for the continuing controversy in- of paper can be folded in
In the past five months the influenza volving all types of vaccinations. In- half more then 7 times??
has spread and threatened people terestingly people who in general are
worldwide. What makes this flu differ- strong supporters of vaccinations are …that the Germans
ent from your average flu are the peo- questioning the H1N1 vaccination in tried to copy Coca-.Cola
ple effected by it. The average flu is particular. The majority of the ques- and came up with Fanta??
most harmful to infants, children, the tions among the public arise from the
elderly and those with compromised common knowledge that the vaccine
immune systems. However, the H1N1 was just recently developed and that … that honey is the only
is affecting those less susceptible to there are no known facts of long term food that does not spoil??
your average flu, such as adolescents, effects it may have. Many of the ac- Honey found in the tombs
college students and people who are cusations towards the vaccine are of Egyptian pharaohs has
healthy. based on people's personal opinions, been tasted by archaeolo-
Recently a vaccine has been re- basic knowledge and very little scien- gists and found edible.
leased to protect against the H1N1 flu. tific facts.
It was originally planned for 20 mil- "I wonder if the people dissemi-
lion doses of the vac- nating this false infor-
cine to be available to The best and easiest way mation about this vac-
the public. This num- to protect yourself against cine realize that what A Healthy
ber dropped signifi- H1N1 and other seasonal they are doing could
cantly as numbers fell flues is to wash your result in some people
Winter
in the production. losing their lives," By Annie Coyle
hands
With this drop in said by Dr. Jonathan Snow is falling,
availability, certain E., director of the De- Christmas is nearing, and it
people were given priority to receive partment of Health for Los Angeles seems as if there could be
the vaccine. These people included County. Dr. Jonathan E. presents the nothing better to do than
medical and emergency response other side of the controversy, that by throwing on a winter coat
workers, due to the importance of their not getting this vaccine you could be and skiing, sledding or hav-
jobs, as well as people generally at jeopardizing the health of others and ing a giant snowball fight.
high risk. The knowledge that the vac- putting them at risk. Research and Although it is in-
cine was limited reached the public, doctors opinions clarify that the risk deed an exciting season,
gaining mixed responses. Different of being a victim of swine flu is much winter can be a major risk
people were worried and grew anxious higher when you are not vaccinated. on our health. These cold
at the thought that they may not be The best and easiest way to pro- months are notorious for
able to receive the vaccine. Parents tect yourself against H1N1 and other the spread of flus, colds and
were concerned for the health of their seasonal flues is to wash your hands! other infections. Many peo-
children if they were not able to re- Did you know that the average person ple think that winter sick-
ceive the vaccine. Others were far less will only wash their hands for a few ness can be avoided by
concerned about receiving the vaccine seconds when studies have proven simply wearing a puffy coat
or simply didn't care at all. As they that you need to wash them for 20 and hat, but these colds are
implied it was just your average flu seconds or more in order for it to be not always linked to the
and should be treated as such. effective. Which will you choose a cold weather at all. People
The controversy has grown around good 20 second hand wash or vacci- tend to stay indoors, hud-
people against vaccinations and those nation? (Continued on page 3)
Chronicles of Waldorfia
(Continued from page 2)
dled against the cold with other
people and their germs. How-
ever, winter is not a time to be
spent in an isolated area, away
from people and the cold. Here
are five tips that will help in-
sure a fun, exciting and sick-
ness free winter.
1. Lather up! One of the most
important things to remember
is to wash your hands fre-
quently. This will help prevent
spreading germs. The most ef-
fective way to wash your hands
is to apply a large amount of
soap and lather. Then put your
hands under warm water and
scrub between your fingers,
hands, wrists and forearms,
while singing happy birthday to
yourself three times in your
The Honeybee Effect
By Milandra Pfister
Honeybees pollinate
over half of the foods we eat,
playing a vital role in supporting
agricultural economies around
the globe. Produce ranging from
alfalfa, an important cattle crop,
to pumpkins and raspberries rely
on the ongoing pollination pro-
vided by bees in order to grow
and flourish from year to year.
All of this is now at risk because
the bee population is mysteri-
ously and rapidly declining. As
Albert Einstein said, "If the bee
disappeared off the surface of
the globe, then man would only
have four years of life left.”
Though Einstein was not an en-
tomologist, or an ecologist, to-
day this quote is generally rec-
ognized as fact.
Throughout the past few
years, there has been a steady
head, or out loud if you prefer.
2. Bundle up! Whenever you
leave the house remember to
dress warmly. Hats, boots,
gloves, coats and other warm ap-
parel will help keep your body's
immune system strong and ready
to fight germs.
3. Rest and relaxation! We all
know how hard it is to get to bed
at a decent time, especially when
main lesson book week ap-
proaches. A full night of sleep,
however, is essential for keeping
a strong immune system.
4. Eat properly! Consuming
healthy foods, plenty of fluids
and the right vitamins are key for
a strong immune system and a
healthy winter.
5. Use a humidifier! The cold and
aand mysterious decline in the
bee populations of North Amer-
ica and Europe. In the US alone,
over one third of the domestic
hives have been lost since 2007;
in the United Kingdom, one fifth
of the remaining hives were lost
last winter alone. Bees all
around the world have been van-
ishing in great numbers, con-
cerning farmers and baffling
scientists.
Although the cause of
this loss remains uncertain, it is
clear that the world economy
and lifestyle will be drastically
altered if the bees continue to
disappear at this rate.
Various theories try to
explain the bee’s disappearance.
Colony Collapse Disorder
(CCD) is the central cause for
hive population loss in the US.
Volume 2, Issue 3
Page 3
dry air can often lead to sinus
headaches, coughing and dry
skin in some high altitude states.
However, these discomforts can
be prevented by keeping a hu-
midifier in your room and turn-
ing it on every night before you
go to sleep.
No one wants to spend
the holidays sitting at home with
the flu, so remember these easy
tips, which will help insure a
sickness free winter. Go out,
have fun in the snow and enjoy
the holidays!
In the hives affected by CCD, the
mature, working bees abandon the
younger bees, and often the queen,
leaving an unproductive hive behind.
Predators such as wasps do not at-
tack affected hives, nor do other bees
raid the supplies of honey and pollen
left behind.
Drought, parasites, pesticides
and a lack of nutrition are suspected
causes of CCD, and the disappear-
ances in general. In the United
States, poor husbandry is another
factor of the bee’s lives; many are
transported from region to region,
following the crops and seasons.
This exposure to various climates,
and the different insects and para-
sites that survive in these different
conditions can affect the bees ad-
versely, as their tiny immune sys-
tems are not always ready to cope
with so many new factors.
Another theory surrounding
the bee dilemma concerns our grow-
ing reliance on cell phones. Research
has long shown that a bee’s behavior
changes when it approaches power
lines; many scientists are now specu-
lating that the radiation created by
mobile phone use interferes with the
(Continued on page 4)

Page 4
(Continued from page 3)
bee’s navigation systems.
Their communication and di-
rectional systems are thrown
to the wind, leaving the bees
disoriented and often stranded
alone. On the East Coast of the
US, with its dense human
population, there has been a
more noticeable
decline in the hon-
eybee population
than in any other
area.
Since the
causes remain un-
known, it is hard to
remedy the prob-
lem. In the UK,
Plan Bee has been
initiated to reduce
the risk of loss, and
to increase the wild
bee population. Plan Bee has
temporarily banned the use of
certain pesticides and chemi-
cals thought to be linked with
CCD, provided discount bee
boxes to farmers, raised
money for research and cam-
paigning, and plans to spread
non-invasive wildflower seed
mixes alongside crops. All of
these measures aim to encour-
age the bee population to grow
Made In China
By K Tran
China is well known as
the largest exporter of the
whole world and the line
“MADE IN CHINA” is very
familiar to everyone. Although
everyone knows where the
products come from, they can-
not know how the products
were made and if they are le-
gitimate or fake.
Volume 2, Issue 3
and thrive, with the help of the farm-
ers who rely on pollination for their
crops to grow.
The declining bee popula-
tion could have devastating effects
on lifestyles and economies through-
out the world. With our busy life-
styles, the processes of food are
more often than not forgotten by the
time we are ready to eat. These
p r oces s es
As Albert Einstein are no less
essential
said, "If the bee dis- just be-
cause they
appeared off the sur- may be
face of the globe, o v e r -
looked.
then man would The bee’s
only have four years role in our
lives is no
of life left.” small part.
W h i l e
greater so-
cial issues may take precedence, the
fact that millions of bees that sup-
port the crops of the world have dis-
appeared mysteriously is not some-
thing to disregard as a minor dys-
function of the ecosystem. The least
we can do is recognize the plight of
the bees, and put effort into solving
and curing the situation.
Personally, I’d rather choose
things “MADE IN VIET-
NAM” or NEPAL, HONG
KONG or BRAZ because at
least they don’t come from
China, a country that is in-
famous for producing imi-
tated things.
Fake brands are
rampant in China sold with
unreasonably low prices at
marketplaces. Foreign com-
panies have frequently com-
plained about this violation.
Chronicles of Waldorfia
China recently has also cracked
down on fake brands by closing
down business retailers in order to
build a better image to outsiders.
The Chinese government make
their fake brand logos by editing
the real brand logos and names
into something very similar to the
original ones, such as: “Puma”
into Pmua”, “Fuma” and “Poum”.
A week ago, the police in
Hunan province found workers
lubricating the condoms with
vegetable oil in unsterilized condi-
tions and they are looking to take
about a million of the condoms off
the market. The condoms that are
packaged under those fake Chi-
nese brands would provide little
protection for users.
With 30 dollars, women
can buy a “fake virginity” and
have your first night again. This
product oozes out a liquid with an
odor similar to blood. Although it
was clinically proven non-toxic to
human and has no side effects, no
pain to use and no allergic reac-
tion, fake virginity became illegal
and banned by the government
because it claimed that fake vir-
ginity is not honest.
China is facing a global
crisis of consumer confidence as
the country's food safety watchdog
acknowledged that almost a fifth
of the products it inspects fail to
reach
mini-
mum
stan-
dards.
Chinese
people
are the
ones
whot
“invent”
the cov-
(Continued on page 5)
Chronicles of Waldorfia
(Continued from page 4)
ering cake (a Chinese tradi-
tional food that I usually eat in
the morning) made by card-
board and paper. Also, they
make fake eggs which contain
no nutrients but only chemical
substances. The eggs contain
an unknown powder, benzoic
acid, coagulating material and
even alum, which is normally
used for industrial processes.
Consumers have a hard time
telling a genuine egg from a
fake one. Although bubbles
appear on the white of the egg,
those who have tasted it say the
fake stuff tastes very much like
the real thing. Not only that, 13
infants in China died because
they were fed by fake milk.
Reporters there found 10
brands of fake milk powder on
sale. It was not clear if the
powder included any toxic in-
gredients, but some children
were reported to have died
within three days of being fed
the fake milk. Moreover, the
fake milk causes a disease
which doctors called "big head
diseases", where infants' heads
appear abnormally large in
comparison to their bodies.
Local Music
By Jaycee Sanchez
Over the last few
years ,Denver and the entirety
of Colorado has been making
its mark on the music industry.
More and more local artists are
making it big in the music
business and moving on to na-
tional fame and beyond. Most
notable of these bands, and
most successful as of yet is
The Fray. The group origi-
nated in Denver, and has risen to
worldwide fame, but they were
only the beginning of what has
become a tremendous ascent of
local talent to national recogni-
tion. Most recently the duo 3OH!
3 has attained high levels of
popularity, They have received
features on popular television
shows and thus gained promi-
nence throughout pop culture.
And who can forget the local
group The Flobots who exploded
onto the scene with their hit
“Handlebars”? These are only
three examples of the countless
talented groups forming in the
state of Colorado. With many
underground groups easing their
way into the spotlight, (bands
such as Tickle Me Pink and Sin-
gle File, and lesser known groups
such as, Vices I Admire and The
Epilogues), the possibilities are
endless, as, the state is getting
itself noticed as one of the coun-
try’s hotspots for new music.
With this number of rising artists
and many more to come, one
thing is certain: people should
keep their eyes and ears on Den-
ver and the surrounding area. All
we have left to wonder is who
will be the next hit artist out of
our hometown? We just have to
sit back, enjoy the music, and
see. Support Local Independ-
ent Music!
Nutcracker
By Sara Galymova
I never saw The Nutcracker
until 2003. I saw The Nut-
cracker at the National Aca-
demical Theater of Opera and
Ballet in Almaty. Since then
my favorite ballet has been the
Nutcracker! In this ballet you
can feel the spirit of Christmas
Volume 2, Issue 3
Page 5
and New Year.
I want to present you the miracle world
of this ballet !
The first scene occurs in the house of a
wealthy family in a small town in Ger-
many. The mayor of the town Herr Si-
berhaus and his wife are having a party
for their family and friends.We can see
Drosselmayer, he is an old man. Drossel-
mayer arrives and distributes presents to
the children. Among her girts, mayor Si-
berhaus's daugther Clara (called Masha
in Russian version) receives a Nut-
cracker. It is an ugly and awful toy sol-
dier. Clara's brother Fritz snatches the
Nutcracker from Clara and breaks his
head, leaving Clara heartbroken.
After the party is over and guests depart
she goes to bed. She cannot forget about
broken toy-soldier and she cannot sleep.
When the clock strikes midnight strange
things begin to happen. The Christmas
tree grows above Clara. The toys around
the tree come to life. Clara is startled to
see mice appearing from every corners of
the house. It is the army of mice with
their Mouse King. The Nutcracker leads
his army of toy soldiers to fight the mice.
Clara watches in amazement the mice
soldiers and Mouse King fight with toy
soldiers and Nutcracker.The Nutcracker
and his army can no longer go on and
captured by the Mouse King. Clara
strikes the Mouse king and manages to
save The Nutcracker’s life.Mice run
away, carrying their leader's lifeless
body.
Suddenly The Nutcracker turns into gal-
lant Prince. He takes Clara on a jorney to
the Land of the Snow (called Kingdom of
the Sweets in Russian version). They
walked in the forest wonderland, where
they are welcomed by dancing snow-
flakes. This land is ruled by The Sugar
Plum Fairy. The prince tells her about his
(Continued on page 6)
 Volume 2, Issue 3
Page 6
(Continued from page 5)
battle with the army of the
mice and the fairy shows them
Spanish, Arabian, Russian,
Chinese, and Mirlinton dances,
and as well as The Waltz of
Flowers.The Waltz of Flowers
is my favorite part of this bal-
let!It is such a beautiful and
magic scene! As a finale, the
Sugar Plum Fairy and the
Cavalier dance a nice Pas de
Deux.
Clara awakens from her
dream and finds herself by the
Christmas tree with her be-
loved Nutcracker....
I won’t forget the music from
this ballet. It was composed by
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who
was a Russian composer of the
Romantic era. He wrote some
of the popular music in the
world, such as Swan Lake,The
Sleeping Beauty and in the
1892 The Nutcracker. He dedi-
cated his life to music.
Merry Christmas!
Texting: CN U RD THS?
By Kelsey Gaillot
OMG BFFAE HE IS A
QT!!! ;) :P :D
Are you having difficulty read-
ing this? Good, me too. But this is
the language commonly used by
teenagers and young adults through
text messages and chat services,
such as AIM or facebook messag-
ing.
Abbreviations and short cuts
are used to increase speed in con-
versations and to reduce the length
of messages. You can drop vowels,
leave out all possible grammar, and
just use the first letters of a popular
phrase, such as “talk to you later”
becomes “ttyl”. You can also drop
entire words down to one or two
letters, or just use a symbol.
“Anyone” becomes “ne1” and
“forgot” becomes “4gt” and a
whole sentence such as “are we
going through this again?” be-
comes “awgtta?”
Although this is the ‘way to
text’ I can’t seem to get it down. I
still write out “you” instead of a
Glitz, Glamour, and… Gore?
Miss Congeniality : A Memorable Mystery
By Kate Thomas
I had no idea what I was get-
ting myself into when I decided to
rent this movie for the first time the
other night. “Sandra Bullock is so
pretty! Is that a gun on her leg…?”
Those were my first thoughts when
seeing the cover. What could this
movie possibly be about? Just an-
other chick flick? But within minutes
of watching the movie I realized it
was indeed a mystery film about Gra-
cie Hart (Sandra Bullock’s character)
desperately trying to solve the crime,
Chronicles of Waldorfia
quick, oh so popular “u” and I put in all
the correct grammar. Old habits die
hard, but for those of you who have the
skill of texting lingo…I salute you.
Smiley faces are also a way to ab-
breviate in texts and can actually be
very helpful while chatting through
technology.
Since texting is very impersonal,
and emotions such as jealousy, laughter,
and anger are harder to get across but
smiley faces can help. If you are making
a joke, a quick winking smiley face ;-)
can ensure that the receiver understands
that it is supposed to be funny. A smiley
with it’s tongue sticking out :-P can also
be helpful in joking situations or if you
are talking about having to do home-
work or chores, you could use the
smiley face with the tongue sticking out.
If you are angry or sad a frowning
smiley face L or an angry face
>:-( should get the point across.
So, ttyl8r, ml, swak, & hand (talk to
you later, much love, sealed with a kiss,
and have a nice day J)
and find out who committed the pre-
vious murder, before they would
strike again at the Miss America
Beauty Pageant. However, the only
way of doing this would be for Gra-
cie herself to go under cover and
hopefully find clues to lead her to the
killer.
It was a demanding journey
for her; she needed a head-to-toe
makeover first. Everything from her
hair, to her walk needed to be
transformed. Luckily she found a
Chronicles of Waldorfia
very recognized mentor by the
name of Victor Melling
(Michael Caine), they
practically had to beg him to
teach her. After all was said
and done; I was very pleased to
see that a makeover was on the
agenda, the “old” Gracie had
disgusting eating habits (from
shoving manly bites into her
mouth to talking with her
mouth loaded with food), her
wardrobe consisted of tacky
white stained blouses and
oversized high waisted pants,
and her attitude was insecure
and disrespectful. The
makeover not only changed her
appearance, but also her
outlook on life, beauty, and
herself.
It wasn’t before long
that I caught myself becoming
attached to all of the characters
and hoping that Gracie will be
able to save the girls lives
without blowing her cover. The
movie goes through many
twists and turns and keeps you
on your toes. The ending is
very memorable and I would
recommend this movie to any-
one having one of those late
movie nights!
Netflix vs.
Blockbuster
By Dyami Isely-Parvanta
Which of the two prominent
movies by mail services is best
overall? What do they offer?
More importantly, what do you
get for your money? Both Block-
buster and Netflix offer DVDs or
Blu-Ray disks (Netflix has an
additional cost for Blu ray ser-
vice) by mail on a variety of dif-
ferent plans so that you can
Volume 2, Issue 3
choose what best suits your use and
amount of money you are willing to pay.
Both services send the movies in an en-
velope that includes a pre-paid return
envelope in it, however, Blockbuster
allows you to return moves at any of
their locations nation wide.
Blockbuster offers 3 different plans: 1
DVD at a time by mail for $8.99 a
month, 2 at a time for $13.99, or 3 at a
time for $16.99. Blockbuster also offers
the feature of having 5 in-store trade-ins
a month, where you may bring one of
your movies from the mail into a Block-
buster location and trade it in for a free
rental. This movie also counts as re-
turned, so the next movie on your online
queue will be shipped to you. However,
this extra service will cost you an added
$3.
Netflix has a greater diversity of plans
and prices. Netflix also offers the service
of movie streaming, either directly to
your computer, or to a Netflix ready de-
vice. There is a huge range of devices
that are Netflix enabled, ranging from
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 game console to
several Blu-Ray players. The cheapest
Netflix ready device is manufactured by
Roku and has a MSRP of $79. The plans
are under two classifications: Limited
plans, and unlimited plans. There is one
limited plan, this is for only $4.99 a
month but only allows for 2 movies to
be sent a month, and for only 2 hours of
video to be streamed. The unlimited
plans begin with 1 movie out at a time
and infinite streaming for $8.99 a month,
2 movies and unlimited for $13.99, 3
movies and unlimited for $16.99, and 4
movies and unlimited for $23. 99.
Ultimately, both services offer unique
and very competitive features, in the end
after having used both services Netflix
provides the most value for the amount
of money charged. Blockbuster’s in
store trade-ins are weak and overpriced
compared to Netflix’s easy to use and
excellent streaming feature. In the end,
Netflix comes out on top.
Page 7
Fugitive News
Success at last!
The inscription proved
to be just another de-
ception, probably put
in place by Teddy
himself. The building Teddy Oja
has been put under
observation, and we need only wait
for our quarry to arrive. The ex-
citement in the office is palpable.
Using just 24 million dollars, we
have tracked down one of our most
elusive fugitives ever. Truly, this is
a matter of personal pride to every-
one that serves under the banner of
freedom.
On Friday the 25th, around
3:00 PM, Teddy left the school. He
was detained by agents en-route to
his home and placed into custody
to await interrogation. The casual-
ties were minimal, an impressive
feat considering the predicted fe-
rocity of the suspect. I look for-
ward to picking his brain. Maybe
we will be able to sift through all
of the falsity and find the real per-
son within.
3 Baseball
Changes
By Hunter Curtis
The instant replay rule: This
issue has come up a lot all season
and even more in the playoffs.
Major league baseball’s current
replay policy only has home runs
reviewable, but homers are not the
most important thing that need to
be reviewed. What really needs to
be reviewed is plays on the base
paths and whether or not a ball is
foul. You could see a blown call
in one of those categories in ever
game this latest postseason, and a
(Continued on page 8)
 Volume 2, Issue 3
Page 8
Baseball Changes
(Continued from page 7)
few times it effected the out-
come of the game. Traditional-
ists say that this would effect the
history of the game, it wouldn't,
it would help the sport finally
meet the 21st century. Other
people say that it would slow
down the game to much. Not if
you have on umpire always
looking at replays, you don’t
need as many as you have on the
field.
The number of teams that
make it into the playoffs: There
are 30 teams in Major league
baseball, yet only eight make it
into the playoffs. I know a base-
ball season is longer then any
other season and people want to
make sure its not to long. Why
not make the season 40 games
shorter and add eight more
teams to the playoffs. This
would make the season shorter
and more exiting. Who wouldn't
want a shorter season and longer
playoffs, after all the playoffs
are the only thing most people
watch because honestly the
regular season gets old way too
fast.
The winner of the all-star
game gets home field advan-
tage in the world series: This is
by far the stupidest rule that ma-
jor league baseball has. I know
that they are just trying to make
it so the all-star game matters
but it doesn’t work. It should be
the team with the best regular
season record that gets home
field advantage in the world se-
ries. Look at it this way, by the
time the all-star game roles
around most teams have no
chance to make it to the play-
offs. Players from these teams
are less likely to try there hard-
est to win. The all-star game is
supposed to be a fun brake for players
too, instead it adds stress to all of the
festivities. It favors the american league
because they have won the all-star game
12 straight times. This is because the
american league has more money so
they can sign better players. Sometimes
the better team doesn't get home field
advantage just because they are in the
worse league.
Surging Avs
By Evan Tolley
If a casual fan attended a Colo-
rado Avalanche home game at the
Pepsi Center seven months ago, it is
possible that they would have been
surrounded by fans sleeping during a
lopsided loss or heard chants of “lose
for the draft pick, lose for the draft
pick!” However, the most likely sce-
nario is that they would have been sur-
rounded by no one at all.
This failure at the ticket offices
was one of many issues that the Ava-
lanche organization addressed during
the long and stressful offseason follow-
ing the team’s second to last place fin-
ish in the league. Stan Kroenke (owner
of the Avalanche), who was accus-
tomed to winning seasons both on the
ice and in the front office found the
lack of production unacceptable and
made substantial changes from the top
down. He began by replacing General
Manager Francois Giguere with Greg
Sherman, and the next day fired head
coach Tony Granato and promoted Joe
Sacco (the head coach of the Avs’
feeder team, the Lake Erie Monsters)
to the position.
Although many changes were
made to the team’s roster during the
offseason, the most prominent was the
loss of superstar center Joe Sakic, who
retired after his 20th season in the NHL.
Chronicles of Waldorfia
However, this loss was a part of the
team’s transition to a younger, fresher
look, which also resulted in them trad-
ing 33 year old (an old man in NHL
terms) star Ryan Smyth to the Los
Angeles Kings for 24 year old Kyle
Quincey and 30 year old Tom Pre-
issing. The Avs then gambled by add-
ing more youth in the 2009 draft, se-
lecting flashy 18 year olds Matt
Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly with the
2nd and 33rd overall picks. Despite
their astonishingly young age, both
have logged significant playing time
and been major assets to the team dur-
ing the early stages of the season.
O’Reilly’s outstanding performance
so far this year (4 goals, 11 assists)
has made him a top contender for the
NHL’s rookie of the year award.
The final piece of the puzzle
for the Avs was goaltending, an area
in which they had struggled during the
previous season as both of their goal-
tenders (Peter Budaj and Andrew Ray-
croft) had logged save percentages
under 90%. Sacco and Sherman chose
to roll the dice in this area as well,
signing unproven Craig Anderson via
free agency to man the net for the
team. With Budaj as his backup,
Anderson has had an outstanding sea-
son thus far as he ranks near the top of
the NHL in nearly every goaltending
category.
Luckily, these gambles on
players and personnel during the off-
season have paid off for the Avs in the
form of wins and losses. Last season,
the team finished 32-45-5, good for
only 69 points and the second to last
place finish mentioned above. In con-
trast to this, the Avs are 12-5-3
through twenty games this season,
resulting in a division leading 27
points. This puts them on pace to fin-
ish with 110.7 points this season, 41.7
more than they totaled last year. If
they had finished with this amount of
points, they would have entered the
postseason fourth in the league and
(Continued on page 9)
Chronicles of Waldorfia Volume 2, Issue 3
Page 9

Avalanche! District Champion Volleyballers

(Continued from page 8)
enjoyed the revenue and fan
hype that a trip to the playoffs
brings.
Although many
“avaholics” agree that this rapid
turnaround can be partially at-
tributed to the additions of
Duchene, O’Reilly and Ander-
son, the team still centers around
forwards Paul Stastny and Wo-
jtek Wolski, both of whom have
been important to the team for
several years. Instead, the play-
ers say that the main difference
this season is Sacco’s straight-
forward, demanding style of
coaching. In a recent interview
with the Denver Post, Avs’
defenseman Adam Foote said
that Sacco “holds guys account-
able” and that “there aren’t any Photo by Mike Coyle
gray areas about what he wants
and expects. I’d say what I’ve Pirate Radio Review
noticed so far is that he’s tough, By Kieran Edstrom
but fair.” This method of coach-
ing has been much more affec- In the 1960s the BBC would not (Philip Hoffmen), Thick Keven (Tom
tive than Granato’s, who was play the pop music of the day. In an Brooke), Dave (Nick Frost, Hot Fuzz,
often criticized for his laid back, effort to bring this music to Britain, Shawn of the Dead) and Falicity, the
easygoing attitude. ships began to broadcast Pop music only woman on the ship (by virtue of
Due to their improved off the coast from ships and aban- being a lesbian), were some of the most
performance on the ice, the Avs doned military platforms. The music memorable characters in a cast that is
are finally starting to see growth the ships played became known as pieced together perfectly. The members
in ticket sales. The only question Pirate Radio. of Radio Rock are the focus of both base
at this point is can they keep it The film written and directed by and high humor as we are lead through
up? When asked this question by Richard Curtis follows the exploits Carl's time with these profoundly bad
the Denver Post, Sacco said “It’s of a fictional shop, Radio Rock. The influences.
early. There’s a long way to go. main character is the 17-year-old The other half of the plot is about
We’ve gotten off to a pretty Carl played by Tom Sturridge, who the opposing force of the British govern-
good start, but we can always be is sent to the ship after being ex- ment represented by Minister Dormandy
better.” With a driven coach be- pelled from to school to live with his of the Parliament and his assistant
hind the bench who wants more godfather Quentin, proprietor of the Twatt, who spend the movie attempting
from his team than their excel- ship played by Bill Nighy (Hot Fuzz, to shut down Radio Rock.
lent 12-5-3 start, there are few Shawn of the dead, Pirates of the This movie is a fine work of com-
who doubt that the Avs’ success Carribean). edy and a superb example of British
will continue throughout the rest The story is centered around the style. It is filled with fun, excitement
of the year and into the foresee- eccentric and fun loving crew, Angus and of course great music. This is a film
able future. the Nutty Nutsford (Rhys Darby, that has the rare ability to hold your at-
Flight of the Concords), The Count (Continued on page 11)
 Volume 2, Issue 3
Page 10
Horoscopes
Aries: Beware of singing wall fish
this week if you want to keep your
left pinkie finger.
Taurus: You will be lucky this
week if you are persistent.
Gemini: I'm so, so sorry.
Cancer: Wedding bells are in your
future, not ringing but falling on
and crushing you.
Leo: Sometime, somewhere,
something will happen to you.
Virgo: There are multiple partners
in your future. But they will find
out about each other and hurt
you.
Libra: You are going to become
super glued to something sharp
and painful.
Scorpio: A large transfer of
money is in your future. Except
you wont know its happened un-
til the bills for the solid gold
monkey come in the mail.
Sagittarius: You might want to
wear a helmet for awhile.
Capricorn: You are going to
win a prize in a contest you did-
n’t even know you signed up for.
Chronicles of Waldorfia
Aquarius: Remember that a full body
spandex suit is not a good idea when its
snowing, or windy, or ever.
Pisces: You don’t deserve a horoscope
this week.
Brain Boggler
By Kelsey Gaillot
1. How many times can you sub-
tract the number 5 from 25?
2. Which word becomes even
shorter if you add two letters to it?
3. From which 7 letter word, if
you take out 4 letters, will you have
one left?
Answers on page 11.
Chronicles of Waldorfia Volume 2, Issue 3
Page 11

Pirate Radio
(Continued from page 9)
tention from the opening titles to the
ending credits, leaving you wanting
more and wondering how time could
have passed so quickly.
As an ending note I strongly rec-
ommend this film to fans of British
comedy, if you liked Death at a Funeral,
or Hot Fuzz, then this is a must see.
However, this movie is not for everyone
and it is rated R for good reason. If you
are easily offended or put off by vulgar-
ity stay clear of this film.

Crossword
By Hunter Curtis

3. Someone.
2. Short.
subtracting from 20.
1. Only once because after that you would be
Brain Boggler Answers
 Volume 2, Issue 3 Chronicles of Waldorfia
Page 12
Eyespy Welcome Back
By Kiele Kirkegaard
By John Reinhart
The Chronicles of Waldorfia, fondly known as
the C.O.W., began humbly last year as an 11th
grade journalism project. Less than a year later, the
C.O.W. is circulated widely around the school
community, and many students from 6th grade to
high school seniors regularly, and voluntarily, sub-
mit articles.
The journalism block has returned. Working
around both Thanksgiving and Christmas vaca-
tions, the C.O.W. will come out weekly during this
block. Following this issue there will be issues out
each Monday for
two weeks, and an-
other issue out when
we return to school
in January 2010.
We welcome all
your contributions
and support. You
may submit articles,
Find:2 mittens, 3 candycanes, 6 snowflakes, 3 hats, one puzzles, comics,
firy face, 10 stars, 2 bows, 1 cookie. questions, com-
ments, advertise-
ments, or any-
thing else that
seems reason-
able by
Wednesday to appear in the issue distributed
the following Monday. Submissions may be
emailed to dwhsnews@gmail.com or delivered
in hard copy to my desk in the high school, the
box in the middle school hallway, or my mail-
box in the office downstairs.
It is with immense pleasure that I teach jour-
nalism again this year, and great joy that I
serve as supreme editor and publisher.

"Strength is happiness. Strength is itself

victory. In weakness and cowardice
there is no happiness. When you wage a
struggle, you might win or you might
lose. But regardless of the short-term
outcome, the very fact of your continu-
ing to struggle is proof of your victory
as a human being." ~ Daisaku Ikeda