I have to say, they deserve a lot of credit for this new addition to the Mass Effect trilogy. Did I say trilogy? Well I guess I know what I will have to review in the future. But check out my review of ME2.

This is the continued saga of Commander Shepard. In Mass Effect 2, players will be hooked from the very beginning by an explosive and devastating opening that will make viewers believe that what they saw it cannot be true. The Normandy is dispatched to determine the mysterious disappearance of entire human colonies, only to be ambushed and resulting in the Normandy being destroyed. Yes I said destroyed. In the process half the crew is killed along  In those brief minutes of the opening movie, the players watching the screen are soon yanked back from the seas of despair as the main character is launched back into the game two years later, rebuilt by Cerberus, a Pro-Human Organization that has a very extreme anti-alien past.

It’s the future, and all life across the galaxy is in peril. An advanced race of machines known as Reapers is intent on wiping the slate clean. Shepard, a distinguished soldier, has faced this threat and emerged triumphant once before, but victory is far from assured. Now Shepard must take the fight to the enemy, a mission that is dubbed suicidal from the beginning. Things don’t look very promising, but Shepard has a plan. It involves recruiting the best and brightest from across the galaxy and somehow convincing them that their lives are worth sacrificing for the greater good.  These heroes are what drive the story. Their motivations become yours as the experience grows with each addition to the cast.

The game launches full speed into a new conflict and problems arising from the previous game. New features are available. For example, Decisions made in the past game, Mass Effect 1, effect events in the second game. This can only happen if you import your saved data from the first game (if you’ve played it. I recommend you play ME1 before ME2. You won’t understand the storyline.)

Bioware also has done a great job of taking criticism and comments from the first game and incorporating them into the second one. Long elevator rides and slow-loading textures are gone, replaced with (occasionally lengthy) loading screens. Generic cut-and-paste side quests and empty planets to explore have been totally ripped out and pretty much everything that anybody took the slightest issue with in Mass Effect 1 has been axed or rebuilt entirely.

I believe this is a game worth playing not once, not twice, but multiple times for you will not get the same experience again. This game is worth the $60 it costs at our two local GameStops. If you haven’t played the first Mass Effect, I strongly recommend buying that first and then playing Mass Effect 2 for a more enjoyable experience.

Editor Review: 10 out of 10

IGN.com Review: 9.6 out of 10

Is this really a good idea? Pushing teens to take AP classes when they aren’t ready could cause stress, even worse grades, or in many cases, the class is dropped by the student. In addition to this, by putting regular students in AP classes, the classroom environment AP tries to create, as well as, the speed of learning can be hindered. Although students that want these courses are more likely to benefit from this and add to the environment, but this will only be successful if they are a very determined student.

AP stands for advanced placement, not every student in GBHS fits into that category, and the stress of trying to make the cut might just cause bigger problems. Many students make it into a good college without much trouble and zero AP classes.

Students prepared for AP classes strive to get into those classes without that extra push from teachers. Even for students who are used to the honors classes, AP is a wake up call. AP demands intelligence and an excellent work ethic. Students joining these classes without the qualifications cause classes to lower standards and limit the learning of the rest of the students.

Coomer attended the Royals vs. Tigers game on Sept. 9, 2009 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. The Royals fan sat six rows behind the third base dugout, a popular spot in the stadium where fans hoping to catch a foul ball tend to sit. Unfortunately for him, a foul ball wasn’t exactly what was being served up at the moment.

The Royals’ mascot “Sluggerrr” the lion, in all innocent entertainment, stood up on the third base dugout and started firing hot dogs into the crowd with a gun-like instrument. He then resorted to simply chucking the hot dogs into the crowd with his hands and lost control of his throw, nailing John Cooper directly in the left eye with a hot dog.

The hot dog detached Cooper’s retina as well as caused cataracts to form. He has since undergone two surgeries and claims that, “his vision is now permanently impaired,” and believes that he is now, “at greater risk for future eye problems.”

Instead of being a true Royals fan and forgiving the lovable lion for his mistake, Cooper is now suing the team for negligence and battery and seeking over $25,000.00 in damages. His lawsuit’s main argument is that Kansas City has, “failed to adequately train its agents in the proper method in which to throw hot dogs into the stands at Kauffman Stadium.”

While this lawsuit is still in progress, until a verdict has been settled, the entertainment at Kauffman stadium will have to be watered down a bit. In other words, Sluggerrr’s throwing days could possibly be at an official end. Which, if you think about it, is quite sad seeing as shooting hot dogs at people is just a fun part of the entertainment provided at Kauffman Stadium.

Yes, Sluggerrr should definitely be more careful especially since this incident has occurred. But in all honesty, is “failing to adequately train agents in the proper method in which to throw hot dogs into stands” really a legitimate argument in a lawsuit? I’m thinking not. Furthermore, I highly doubt that “hot dog throwing” is even a portion of training that mascots endure while applying for the job. Let’s be real here.

What this all boils down to is that Sluggerrr made a mistake and hurt an innocent fan. But it’s still highly uncalled for and over the top for Coomer to sue the entire team over it. It’s not like the team authoritive figures wouldn’t have obliged him in some way for his troubles. But the guy who was supposed to be a Royals fan had to go on and sue them. Now that’s low.

So congratulations, John Coomer. I hope you enjoy whatever you may win in this lawsuit because in the end, is it really that big of a deal? One thing is for sure, your social status with your fellow Royals fans will plummet. I sure hope it’s worth it.

Recently Toyota has recalled nearly 8.5 million vehicles that pose a threat of uncontrollable acceleration, as the acceleration pedal has been known to become stuck in the wide open position. The company has identified that there are two problems at stake, a problem with the floor mats interfering with the acceleration pedal, and a problem with the pedal itself.

This very recall may just set Koua Fong Lee, of St. Paul Minneapolis, free from prison. In 2006 Koua Fong Lee’s 1996 Toyota Camry failed to stop on an interstate ramp, resulting in the death of three people. In 2007 he was convicted of criminal vehicular homicide and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Lee’s once “closed case,” and many cases like his, have been drawing new attention with the possibility that vehicles involved in the incidences may have been affected by the acceleration. It is not for certain if the case will be reopened but the odds are certainly in Lee’s favor. In the meantime Lee, a father of four, is remaining very hopeful that the Toyota recall will be his very own get out of jail card.

Men and women around the country find themselves in the same position as Lee, convicted of vehicular homicide, and convinced that they did everything in their power to control their out of control Toyota vehicles. As unfair as it may sound, it is the reality. Due to the mistakes made by a company like Toyota innocent men and women sit in prison convicted of crimes they did not commit.

Families who once persecuted people like Lee for the deaths of their loved ones are now filing lawsuits against Toyota, to earn justice for those who were killed. In the past several weeks Toyota has kindly shown great remorse for those killed by result of their faulty automobiles, giving apology after apology. It is with high hopes that Toyota, and the justice system, also recognize and give justification to those whose lives have been ruined in a different way. A great deal of justice is needed to be served to those victims or conviction due to Toyota’s big mistake.

“I really didn’t even know that they recalled the beef,” said senior James Freeman. “It is a good thing that none of the meat here was contaminated though.”

According to the USDA, the recall was in affected because Hallmark/Westland because they didn’t properly inspect their cattle before they slaughterer them. Although, no contaminated meat had been found and there have been no sicknesses that have been linked to this beef.

Each battle was between two teams, each started out at a “gate” at opposite ends of the gym. When they were told to go, each team raced into the gym and took cover immediately behind rollable trash cans; their goal was to get three people into the opposing team’s gate. If a person was shot they were frozen for a minimum of one minute. After the one minute passed they could be unfrozen when someone from their team tagged them, but not before then.

When asked about what the point of the whole experience was, Stuck said, “[The nerf war was] a practical application of the text. [The students] were supposed to take ideas from the text synthesize and apply them to the game.” He also said that it was most about the intrapersonal issues about learning to work with a group and leadership skills; and that most groups ended up being surprised at the capability of the group.

According to sophomore Lindsey Bryant the useful strategy was that, “It helps if your team gets along” and in relation to the book, “[The main character] Ender had to learn to get along with everyone.” Teamwork is an important lesson that you’ll need throughout your life, whether it is now, in high school – or later on in the workplace – working together can always prove to be difficult, especially if you don’t learn to do it early on.

While the nerf war may not seem to be educational to all people, the students actually had to write two separate essays about the whole experience. One essay was comparing and contrasting the book, the nerf war, and an article about actual military tactics. The second essay was about obedience in relation to how they technically broke school rules, while following Stuck’s.

Although the essay most likely weren’t too fun for the students there were memorable moments through out the game. The most memorable moment sophomore Kelsey Carson said, “[Was] Laura falling out of the trash can.” (As part of their team’s strategy they hid people in the trash cans and rolled them towards the gate that they had to capture).

Sophomore Virginia Choe said that her most memorable moment was when her team was trying to capture the gate, but the opposing team was blocking the doorway with a human wall and everyone was pushing trying to squeeze in and ended up falling.

The self titled debut album was a hard act to follow, but the success it brought made the anticipation for Contra worth the wait. Absolutely whimsical is a perfect way to label it; all the songs have a light upbeat feel to them.

In comparison to the first album, the songs aren’t quite as forceful. While most songs on Vampire Weekend featured strong drums and a more solid feel, Contra has a much more airy sense to it.

The first single “Cousins” was released in October 2009, accompanied by a 7” and a quirky video. The song is one of the stronger ones on the album, featuring Ezra Koenig’s unique voice and a highly contagious beat that will inevitably be stuck in your head for at least two hours.

The album has a more electronic feel than the last, keeping to the recent trend. This is evident in “Diplomat’s Son” that is a slower song, sampling M.I.A., and showcases Koenig’s vocals.

The album as a whole took on a much more carefree feel, like the band spent a good year frivolously running around on the beach playing the marimbas.

The album opens with “Horchata,” an upbeat frilly track that has as much energy as a highly-sugared seven year old. A horchata is a kind of drink, implied in the song. “In December drinking horchata / I’d look psychotic in a balaclava.” The song goes on to rhyme the word horchata with orxata and masaba (what?). As with all songs on the CD, there’s a certain line that gets stuck in your head and in this one it’s “Here comes the feeling you thought you’d forgotten,” repeated numerous times.

This album is Vampire Weekend’s stab at society giving them so much criticism on their first album. As if to say that they’re not backing down, they’re going to do it their way, as lively as possible, and it seems to be working.

Timothy Olyphant, playing the town sheriff, David, had immaculate chemistry with Radha Mitchell, playing his wife and town doctor, Judy, throughout the struggle to survive in their now destroyed town. The acting was refreshingly realistic and had me jumping and screaming. The choice of actors was a big factor; otherwise I may not have enjoyed the film as much as I did.

Being a cross between Zombieland and Quarantine, The Crazies was an all time favorite. The town turning into zombies in The Crazies is close in comparison to Zombieland, and the government action to keep the diseased in one area was similar to Quarantine. At first I thought the movies were almost too much alike, but later realized the differences because of the acting and mood of the film.

Although most of the film consisted of serious, frightening scenes, it still maintained a soft comedic flow to lighten the mood with slight remarks that caused a chuckle or two. Thankfully, the production wasn’t like every other scary movie where most of what happens is irrelevant or predictable. Instead, it had a reason for every event and kept the mind anxious from the moment it began. If you’re up for a movie full of action and chilling excitement, The Crazies is a perfect choice, but I suggest not going alone.

Snyder started the event by talking about his “10-point plan” to reinvent Michigan, which basically consisted of creating jobs and fixing the “broken government” in Lansing.

Goodrich senior Tyler Owen attended the event and said, “I agree with his politics and I think he could be good for the state.”
Snyder’s “10-point plan” also includes reforming Michigan’s health care and educational systems, protecting the environment, controlling urban sprawl, and a strategy to keep Michigan’s youth from seeking job opportunities in other states. All these aim to create what Snyder has termed “Michigan 3.0,” the “era of innovation” that will improve Michigan’s national image.

Snyder completed college at the University of Michigan, and received his MBA and law degree by the time he was 23. With the experience of serving as CEO and Chairman of Gateway, Snyder is promoting a reputation as an entrepreneur capable of fixing Michigan’s economy and creating jobs as “one tough nerd.”

Snyder has been running a 60-second commercial proclaiming that what Michigan needs is a nerd. However GBHS junior Shantrice Woollolk said, “Calling himself a nerd doesn’t seem very smart, that word just has a negative connotation.”

The other talking point that was heavily pushed at the event is the fact that Snyder is not a “career politician.” Snyder has extensive experience in the business world as a venture capitalist and has never run for office before.

“Michigan needs someone who knows how to create jobs and will rise above partisanship and political bickering to focus on the public good,” said State Representative Paul Scott. “Rick is that man.”

With Representative Scott’s endorsement, Snyder joins Attorney General Mike Cox, Congressmen Pete Hoekstra, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, and State Senator Tom George in the 2010 race for the Republican Gubernatorial nomination.