Last Thursday, students went to City Hall to have a taste of local government.  There students had a brief internship with government officials, stood in a mock council meeting, and had a lunch catered by El Ranchito.

Youth Council President Rupen Dajee said, concerning the success of this years program, “We had a lot more people this year. We spent the last couple months planning, but it was made possible by our dedicated city employees who worked tirelessly to ensure the youths continued involvment with the city government.”

Students got to see the officials in their work environment from balancing conflicting interests to helping the public. For example those in the building department got to work with the Chief Inspector and the Deputy Building Official. There they were able to see how a remodeled house is analyzed, and got the chance to tour the new construction sites at Fashion Island. They had the chance to visit the yet to be released Nordstrom Building, the new site replacing the fountain, and the new Forever 21, which replaces the former Circuit City.

The program  featured internships with city council members, the city manager, administrative services department, building department, city attorney office, the city clerk, the recreation and senior services, library services, fire/marine department, general services, planning department, police department, public works, and utilities.

“It was a valuable experiance. It enlightened me about many of the cities programs that I would have otherwise not known,” said Senior Paul Zubatov, who interned with the Fire Department.

If you missed it this year, look for it next year, or maybe join Youth Council.

You know the feeling: the annoying buzz of the alarm feels like its pounding away at your head even more so than any other day, your throat feels like you’ve swallowed a galactic fireball and school feels like the last thing you want to think about. We’ve all woken up with the common cold, but while some of us choose to tough it out for a few days before collapsing in third period, that is far from the best thing to do. Trident decided to search and sieze the top ways to get you up and running and beat that pesky “bah-hummbug” feeling as soon as possible.

When you wake up with that not-quite right feeling, immediately put a pot of water to boil. Once it reaches a hot temperature place the towel over your head and breath in the steam for a couple of minutes. In contrast, you can also jump into a hot shower ”The heat zaps any nasty cold bugs still lingering in your nose, before they make it any further. The moisture prevents irritation, clears nasal passages, and breaks up any mucus that may be starting to form” says infectious disease specialist Dr. Shoham.

Keep yourself hydrated. Though you hear that about two hundred times a day from your doctor to your football coach, it is crucial when you feel like you’re getting sick. Drink lots of tea, water and healthy fruit juices throughout the day, the liquids will help your body clean itself from the virus.

Echinacea and zinc are some popular natural remedies to take during a common cold to ward off the virus, but according to Shoham “vitamin C may help ward off some viral infections, but once the infection has set in, then it probably doesn’t have a role in making things better.” Shoham suggests that mom’s good old fashioned chicken soup is the way to go. It has a similar effect as drinking lots of liquids by cleansing your body and making sure things do not get blocked up.

Avoid dairy foods. Dairy tends to stimulate the production of mucus, which is the opposite of what you want when you have a cold. High fructose and fatty foods are also a good idea to avoid since they will most likely leave you feeling even more lethargic because they take a lot of energy to digest.

When you are sick, your body needs all of the rest in can get. So set up that TiVo and snuggle up with an extra cozy blanket and tune in a couple hours early. Take these simple tips and you are sure to be feeling  better in no time!

Corona del Mar’s esteemed Academic Decathlon team returned victorious from their annual competition on Febuary 6, 2010 at Westminster Highschool . Their 5 teams of A, B and C students of 29 members won 27 individual awards. Academic Decathlon awards are based on individual effort excluding super quiz. Jack Mulcaire received the 4th place award in the overall individual category, placing highly among all Orange County scholars. Juniors who scored include Tara Armand in interview, Lyssa Aruda in science, interview, and literature, Bryce Bastien in science, essay, and economics, Kelsey Johnston in economics and math, Morgan McVey in essay, Cameron Moattari in science , Dylan Salisbury in math and literature, Akie Tomiyama in science, Raku Watari in math, science, and art.

Seniors who placed in the competition include Corey Cano in economics, Gillian Lau in music, Morgan Low in science and math, and Jack Mulcaire in literature, economics, history, art and essay.

This Wednesday the USA women’s Olympic team placed third in the 3000m short track relay and placing for the first time in sixteen years. Finishing behind China and Canada, our US team found a spot on the podium after a disqualification to the four-time reigning champions from South Korea. The race could definitely be described as a gift for the US team, who had not even been close to the frontrunners.

“The US was not even close to winning,” said freshman Andrew Deverian, “they were not even on the screen.”

The longest short track race the Olympics have to offer, this race requires the competitor to both pace his/herself, while at the same time demanding the sprinting ability needed for quick passes. Though the US had qualified eleven days prior to the final, the contention for the medal was immense. South Korea was looking for a fifth gold in a row, and with the world record holders from China also in the medal race, the team’s chances of medaling were, to say the least, minimal.

Despite this, the team of lead-off Lana Gehring, Allison Baver, Katherine Reutter, and Alyson Dudek, was reasonably confident of their chances. The team had practiced the relay extensively during training, working on the relay, “multiple times a day, every day, for the last four years.”

However, during the first 14 of the 27 lap race, the dominance of the Korean and Chinese teams was clear. Both Canada and team USA were falling behind, and they did not catch up to the rest. The cameras soon began to turn towards the leaders, who were engaging in their own personal battle for gold at record speeds.

Suddenly, with six laps to go, China is knocked out of their usual turn as Korean Kim Min-Jung rounds the turn, causing an uproar from the stands.

“It was a really big deal,” said Deverian, “it was obvious something had happened.”

The way was clear, and South Korea easily finished first, with China still close behind. However, the race was not over yet, as referee James Hewish examined the replay of the collision. Then, suddenly, Hewish announced the verdict.

South Korea is disqualified. Min-Jung impeded Wang Meng of China. The USA wins the bronze medal.

Though a third place medal, this is seen to be somewhat of a victory for the US. A medal’s a medal, and is much more satisfying than a fourth place. When asked for a word afterwards, Reutter said, “There’s victory and there’s glory. This win may not be glorious, but it is victorious.”
 

As many CdM students already know, junior Darren Lu has near-magical knowledge about how the world really works. A full account of the truth he has given us can be found here. We decided that, although prolonged exposure to Darren’s forbidden knowledge usually results in severe psychological trauma, we should get more detailed information based on Darren’s unique perspective and share it with CdM’s student body, in order to help them see the lies that society is based on. Arranging a meeting with Darren is not easy. To make contact with him we first had to talk to several representatives of the Russian Mafia. They provided us with the information necessary to get in touch with a certain “Mr. Bigg”. Bigg told us that in order to meet Darren we would first have to be subjected to an extensive interview by Darren’s head bodyguard and assistant. We went to the address he told us to go to, a warehouse in Santa Ana. When we entered we were immediately knocked unconscious and bags were put over our face. We awoke several minutes later and the bags were removed from our faces. We were in a dark room, with a wet concrete floor. A single light bulb hung from the ceiling, leaving the corners of the room in shifting shadows. Out of these shadows stepped a an effeminate, elf like man. “Stay awake, I need to ask you some questions” he said. “What…is that Clay Aiken?” said Cahill. And indeed it was. “Look, guys, uhm, I’m going to ask you guys like a few questions.” He removed his baby blue button down and complimenting cashmere cardigan, and put on what appeared to be a large tarp. And then the torture began.

After hours of incredible pain, and equally terrible tickling, we heard a silky and familiar voice, rich and noble. “That’s enough Aiken. Now go back to Pechanga Casino and Resort, your work is done here.  Sorry for the secrecy, but the Coast Guard is constantly watching my every move.” “Really?  the Coast Guard?” “Yes, you have no idea how powerful they really are.” Right off the bat the wise master give huge sums of new information regarding the world’s real history:

• Finney didn’t actually die in Separate Peace.  In reality he was “whisked away” by the United States government because only, the government could truly comprehend his potential as a genetically modified super soldier.  They injected Finny with the experimental “Super Soldier Serum” .  Additionally, Finny’s actual name was Steve Finnaeus Rogers.  At first glance this does not appear tyo be significant; however, Steve Rogers is the real name of  Captain America and the scientist, Dr. Steven von Roschenburg, who created the Super Serum appears multiple times through out the comic book series.

Makes this story seem a lot less...you know.

• The TV show Yu-Gi-Oh! is actually based on Abraham Lincoln’s childhood.
• Ferris Wheels are communist propaganda. Often used to spy on the lives of Americans.

• The “fluoride” that  is put in the drinking supply to supposedly  ”strengthen tooth enamel” is actually used to by the government to monitor our daily lives.
• All breakfast cereal contains amino acids that make Americans comply to the government.  This is the only way a republic can actually function.
• “Aglets, the small plastic caps on the end of shoe laces, purpose: sinister”

Purpose: sinister

All of these revelations were, well, pretty shocking to say the least in their own right. But what we really wanted to know was the backstory on one of his more famous claims. As we’re sure you all remember, the last time we interviewed him, Darren declared that the entire nation of the United Kingdom does not and never has existed. We wanted him to clarify this story. “Well, I have to admit, children, that I wasn’t entirely honest with you last time. But only because you weren’t ready for the whole truth. You see, England doesn’t exist now, but it did once. I think you’re ready now. Let me explain…” The story Darren told us went on for hours and completely explained everything about all of human history. It was comparable to the Bible in it’s ability to provide meaning to and transcend the human experience. Basically everything about history is true up until the 13th century. But, said Darren, “In the Middle Ages, there was the the bloody struggle between England and France known in your history textbooks as the Hundred Years War, and amongst Truthgivers like myself as the Great Magical Space Dinosaur Inter-Dimensional Cataclysm (GMSDIDC) of 1453. French wizards, more specifically Joan of Arc, used their powers to conjure a portal on top of the Washington Monument, which was actually built millions of years ago by the Forerunners. Through this portal, two rival races of super-intelligent dinosaurs arrived. England and France each took one of the races as allies, and soon a massive battle of lasers, magic and swords was joined. All of the British dinosaurs were voiped into another dimension when one of their own laser eyebeams misfired and blasted Britain through the portal that the dinosaurs came from.

Pictured: A British Dinosaur

“Wait,” we said. “So you’re telling us that Britain no longer exists because it was sent to another dimension in a battle between magic space dinosaurs 600 years ago?”

“Yeah, it’s the GMSDIDC,” said Darren.

“Oh, well alright then. That…actually makes a lot of sense. Ties up a lot of loose ends.”

“I know. Because its true. Anyway, the British dinosaurs are waiting for the day when someone will reopen the portal and allow them to rain vengeance on humanity.”

The Revered One

This month, the Lions Club of California sponsored the 73rd Annual Student Speakers Contest. Many might recognize the Lions Club as the big van that is parked by the pool and offers vision and hearing tests to students. They also “provide services to the blind and visually impaired in their local communities.”
The student speakers contest provides $103,500 in scholarships to high school students towards higher education. The winners of this contest are allowed to utilize their scholarships within a span of seven years from their graduation date.

This year’s speech topic is “Universal Healthcare-How will it affect us?” The students competing in this contest are required to research this topic and deliver a speech as close as possible to ten minutes long.Junior Kimberly Billett, along with Jessica Imani, Alicia Ginsberg, and senior Rupen Dajee competed in this year’s competition. Billett’s speech proved the most successful, winning the first round of the contest at the Club level and is now moving on to the Zone level, making her that much closer to the scholarship.

Billett attributes her success to “lots of research and help from Mrs. Henderson.”

So students, if you are looking for a scholarship grant and love delivering your opinion, then this contest is perfect. It is a great way to get involved and is a helpful activity to have on your college resumé.

Congratulations, Kimberly Billet, and keep up the good work!

The day of love, cupid, and red roses is just around the corner. Valentine’s Day is Sunday February 14th. It is the day to send or receive dozens of roses, chocolates, and heart-warming cards.

Don’t forget about the heart shaped sugar cookies, candy hearts, and pink frosted cupcakes. All of these treats, plus many more make Valentine’s Day even sweeter.

“ I love the Valentine’s Day candy hearts with messages on them. They are really cute and yummy,” said freshman Melis Gunay.

Stir up any of these recipes to give to your valentine or share with your friends:

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tablespoons red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, softened

2 sticks butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Cook’s Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

Valentines Day Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup softened butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 4 tablespoons buttermilk

Sprinkles or colored sugar, for decorating

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Add enough of the buttermilk to moisten the dough and make it soft, not wet.

Roll rounded teaspoons of dough into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. With a brush or fingers, moisten the top of each cookie with the remaining buttermilk and slightly flatten the top of each cookie. Sprinkle with pink or red sprinkles.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly golden. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to cool on a rack.

Even though we will be on Ski Week during Valentine’s Day, it can still be celebrated this week. In the quad at break and lunch, Orchesis has been selling Valentine’s Day grams for $4. These grams will be delivered Thursday during 3^rd and 4^th period. They are a great gift for your Valentine. The purchase of a gram comes with a heart pillow, mints, a lollipop, and a note for your valentine.

Valentine’s Day has been celebrated for centuries and goes way back in time.

Although there are no guarantees of the origin of Valentine’s Day, researchers do know that it traces back to the early Christian church in Rome. There are three stories that tell how Valentine’s Day began. In one of these stories, St. Valentine, a Christian Priest was under the rule of Emperor Claudius II who banned marriages because many men were avoiding the army draft by getting married. Then, only single men could be drafted into the army. St. Valentine was seen marrying couples and was sentenced to death. While in jail, St. Valentine received letters from couples about love and how great it is. Later in 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius declared February 14^th as a day to honor St. Valentine.

Besides hearts and roses, one of the dominant icons of Valentine’s Day is Cupid, the Roman God of love. Cupid is the God of love with wings and arrows in which he shoots at two people in order for that couple to fall in love. Cupid may make others fall in love with his bow and arrow, but Cupid has his own tale of love.

Many men adored Psyche, a beautiful mortal woman, for her beauty. Venus, the goddess of love and Cupid’s mother, grew jealous of Psyche and ordered Cupid to hurt her, but instead Cupid fell in love with her. Cupid took Psyche as his wife but since she was mortal she was forbidden to look at him. Psyche looked at Cupid and he punished her by leaving her alone. Looking for Cupid, Psyche came across Venus who ordered her to complete a series of challenges. In Psyche’s last challenge, she was to take the box given to her to the underworld and gather some of Proserpine’s, the wife of Pluto’s, beauty. Psyche was not supposed to open the box, but she did and fell into a deadly sleep.  Cupid found Psyche, woke her, forgave her, and made her a goddess.

The origin of Valentines Day dates back to thousands of years ago, but as Valentine’s 2010 approaches, send your valentine something memorable. A sweet treat or a dozen roses makes this holiday filled with love.

Valentines Day Fun Facts

If you see a flock of doves on Valentine’s Day, you will have a happy, peaceful marriage.

Worldwide, over 50 million roses are given for Valentine’s Day each year.

In Medieval times, girls ate bizarre foods on St Valentine’s Day to dream of their future spouse.

The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Since red stands for strong feelings, red rose is a flower of love.

More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine’s Day.

Over $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for Valentine’s Day in the U.S.

Everyone loves a good Alumni game. This year’s CdM Baseball Alumni Game features 40 Alumni and it’s going to be a good one.

The date has been scheduled for Saturday, February 20th. The umpires have been called. The teams have been decided. Bill MacDonald will be broadcasting.  Have you made sure you’re going to be there? If not, it’s time to clear your calendar.

The game is scheduled to begin at 1:00, but get there earlier for good seats and watch the players warm up with batting practice at noon. The teams have been split according to graduating years. Alumni who graduated in 1999 or earlier will be playing Alumni who graduated from 2000 to last year. Some speculate as to how fair the division was, seeing as it was based solely on age.

To get further updates, join the Corona del Mar High School Baseball Alumni/Foundation group on Facebook. Don’t have a Facebook? Check in with Coach Emme at jemme@nmusd.us

Toyota Camry

For those who have no idea what is going on, there is currently a massive recall of Toyota vehicles. This has been due to problems relating to the floor mat and stuck accelerators which has resulting in unintentionally acceleration.

These accelerations have been caused by the pedal either been pushed down by the floor mats, or the pedal being unable to move quick enough back to its idle and unused position due to stickiness on its spring. This stickiness has been attributed to long time use of the car. Further, questions have arisen if it not necessarily a mechanical problem, but a problem in the electrical system. But until any investigations have been released, Toyota has advised drivers to remove their driver floor mat, place it in the truck, until they can have the pedal and floor mat replaced at their nearby Toyota dealership.

While the number of accidents in relation to the amount of the cars has been extremely low, some of the accidents that have occurred have been disastrous. According to San Diego NBC, a stuck accelerator in a Lexus resulted in four dead.

Mother of senior Austin Quon also almost crashed due to a stuck accelerator.

According to Austin Quon, “My mom was driving down the 55 freeway towards the beach. The accelerator in the car got stuck and the car sped up to 80mph. She put the E-brake and rammed the car brake in an attempt to slow down but it wasn’t working. She tried to shift the car into lower gears, but it still wasnt slowing down. Finally she was able to get the car to slow down while it was in park, but she was running out of freeway. When the freeway turned into street, the uphill slope slowed her down a bit. She was about to rear-end a car infront of her, but luckily the car turned right, so she was able to continue going straight. She finally was able to turn into a nearby 7-Eleven parking lot. We don’t know why or how the accelerator got stuck. Lexus has sent investigators to check the car out for any problems that might have caused it, but have been unsuccessful in any diagnosis.”

For a company whose reputation is based of reliability and safety, its stock and reputation has taken a hit. Further, while they have been quick about fixing the problem, and today Jim Lentz President of U.S Toyota announced that they have fixed the problem, many people are still worried about the problem and the Department of Transportation is still investigating any other possible causes.

Junior Nelson Chen said, “My family have been long time Lexus users, but since this recent recall we have been reconsidering buying a Lexus.”

While others have remained faithful to Toyota. Junior Devon Hoppe, who drives a Toyota Camery, said, “I’m not really concerned about my safety because only a few accidents have happened, and more accidents occur because of mistakes then this.”

And others Toyota drivers have remained unaffected. Junior Jeff Dyess, who drives a Prius, said, “I’m debating whether or not to care.”

From the press release by Toyota. “Toyota vehicles affected by the recall include:

• Certain 2009-2010 RAV4

• Certain 2009-2010 Corolla

• 2009-2010 Matrix

• 2005-2010 Avalon

• Certain 2007-2010 Camry

• Certain 2010 Highlander

• 2007-2010 Tundra

• 2008-2010 Sequoia

Further, no Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are affected by these actions.  Also not affected are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Highlander hybrids and certain Camry models, including Camry hybrids, all of which remain for sale. Camry, RAV4, Corolla and Highlander vehicles with Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) that begin with “J” are not affected by the accelerator pedal recall.”

Just weeks after one of the worst storms in Orange County citizens prepare for storm number two. Though not as strong as its counterpart, the rain is expected to hit all week long and into the weekend.

Wednesday will start the beginning of the squall to hit Newport Beach. With early morning showers, followed by clouds all day long, it isn’t exactly the ideal weather for the second day of finals. The high is expected to be on 65 degrees with a low of 47 degrees.

Thursday is another cloudy day, but there is a less likely chance of rain. Random showers are predicted to popped up throughout the day, and the high is only going to be 63 degrees with a low of 49 degrees.

Friday, which is a no school day for Newport Mesa Unified School District, is going to be warmer than the days prior, however there is a definite chance of rain all day long. The high is expected to be 65 with a low of 51 degrees.

Saturday should be the worst of this coming storm, with a high percent chance of heavy rain and a low of 49 degrees. Sunday will show a bit of sunlight, but still small showers throughout the day. Unfortunately, for those readers who are more interested in the tornados that hit than the much needed rain, no tornado warning is expected this week.