Some could label it lucky number 7, an omen of fortune that worked in the Los Angeles Lakers’ favor. A seventh game won by a tough fight by the Lakers on Tuesday night. There’s nothing bigger than a game 7; in fact, there have been 12 playoff series in which no game sevens were played at all.  CdM students eagerly awaited the intense game between the Lakers and the Celtics.

Chris Freeman, Varsity basketball player said “I didn’t think there was any way the Lakers are gonna lose, because Kobe won’t let them.”

Fellow basketball player Clay Ragsdale disagreed, “Rondo and Pierce are going to dominate. Celtics are for sure taking game seven.”

Other students were indifferent; Keegan Jakosky simply stated, “whatever.”

The Lakers were crowned champions, barely.  In an extremely defensive, epic, raw battle the Lakers came out victorious.

The first half inspired for both the Celtics and the Lakers intense defense and sloppy offensive movements. Ray Allen consistently played tough defense against Kobe Bryant, however couldn’t hit jump shots consistently. The score at the end of the first half was the Boston Celtics with the lead 40- 34 Los Angeles Lakers.

Jump to the Celtics leading by double digits midway through the third quarter. The Celtics are fighting hard for the Laker crown, digging, playing like this is it. The Lakers are staying in the game, barely, Kobe isn’t fufilling his normal potential and the team is struggling.

But Kobe has a peculiar way of coming back, better than ever when it comes to  the last minute.

The Celtics are still leading by four points at the beginning of the fourth, and by three with 6:29 remaining in the game and the  2010 season. It’s do or die. Los Angeles fans are pleading “KO- BE, KO- BE” and the time has come for someone to take control of the game. Kobe is back.

Fisher passionately stated, “This is ours, and we’re not giving it up.”

Bryant and Fisher take the reins, Bryant is back to hitting free throws and sinks a jumper over Celtics Ray Allen.Fisher ties it up, throwing in a three-pointer.

Not to mention Pau Gasol, who throughout the game wouldn’t give anything but his all, making all his threes and fighting for every rebound.

Artest, the game MVP, made a final statement by hitting one last three with about one minute remaining.

The final score was Lakers 83-79 Celtics. A score some would say a little too close for comfort. But the victory for LA had never been tougher or sweeter.

Wally Skalij , Los Angeles Times

Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

North and South Korea have been in the news quite a lot lately. Ever since Korea was divided into communist North Korea and democratic South Korea in the aftermath of WWII, the two countries have been at each others throats constantly. The latest of these skirmishes was the sinking of the South Korean Navy ship ROKS Cheonan, most likely by a North Korean submarine, on 26 March 2010, killing 46 South Korean sailors. You can read about that incident here.

North Korea is crazy and weird enough that I could write like 10 articles about it (here’s an example: according to his official biography, the current leader, Kim Jong Il, shot 5 holes in one the first time he played golf). But that’s not what this article is about. Nay, ladies (this is the sort of stuff ladies like to read about right? Not making any guarantees but there might be a part about super hawt vampires at the end) and gentlemen, this article is about something much more epic than that. It’s a tale that begins with the lone survivor of a practically superhuman North Korean suicide squad being interrogated on national television. And, if you can believe it, it just gets more awesome from there. I can honestly say that when I was researching this article I found myself surprised that I didn’t literally grow a huge mustache and start benching 350 lbs just because. So let’s get started.

Kim Shin Jo just after surrendering

On January 19, 1968, 31 North Korean commandos slipped across the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea. It was a handpicked, elite group of soldiers, trained for 2 years to complete one mission: to kill the President of South Korea, Park Chung Hee. They were not expected to survive. After cutting through the border fence and crossing live minefields, the commandos ran for miles and miles, across mountains and forests, until they found themselves overlooking the South Korean capital of Seoul, and their objective: the Blue House, where the South Korean president lives. These superhuman communist killing machines then changed into South Korean military uniforms and started making their way past the many layers of checkpoints surrounding the Blue House. They almost made it, but a few hundred meters from the entrance to the compound, an inquisitive policeman asked to see some ID. So, being assassins and all, they did what came naturally and shot him full of bullets. And it was on. Nine days later it was all over: the commandos had scattered across South Korea and had been hunted down one by one, and they took 68 South Koreans and 3 Americans with them. Only one had been captured alive. His name was Kim Shin Jo, and when he was put on TV and asked what his mission was, he replied “To cut Park Chung Hee’s throat!” which is like what Kanye West did but about 1000x more awesome. (I attempted to interview Mr. Kim for this article, and I got close, but sadly I can’t speak Korean and no one returned my English emails.

So naturally the South Koreans were pretty pissed about the whole, you know, Call of Duty level taking place in the middle of their capital city thing. In response they decided to sit down with North Korea and talk the whole thing out and come to live together in peace and harmony.

Haha just kidding.

They decided to do the same exact thing right back and start an even more intense unit to make the President of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, deader than a baby seal piñata at a killer whale birthday party.

And thus was born Unit 684.

The South Korean military knew that to top what the Norks were bringing they would have to put together a unit of beyond epic deadliness. And that it would have to be totally secret. So they recruited-get this-only the most dangerous and deadly awesome criminals they could find, many of whom had death sentences. The South Korean Air Force (who ran the unit) erased their identities completely from all records. Their families thought they had simply disappeared. Now let’s review: what we’re dealing with here is a secret unit to be sent on a suicide mission, made up of goshdarn death row inmates, who had their identities erased like Will Smith in Men in Black. Did I not tell you this was going to be legit?

I tried for weeks to track down any lead I could on the names of the members of Unit 684, but they were so secret that even today that information is apparently unknown. I was only able to find out that 5 of them were originally from Okechon County in North Chungchong Province. What I was able to find are pictures, never before published in the United States (or probably anywhere outside of Korea), that show the men at their secret training camp on the deserted island of Silmido. On Silmido, the men trained to become unholy death wizard ninjas. The training was more extreme than Jello Xtreme. The guards/trainers showed their approval and satisfaction by not beating you mercilessly.  Most of the time the guards were not satisfied. After a few months of training, these guys could stay underwater for like 5 minutes and throw a knife right into your eye from 50 yards. 7 recruits died so you know it worked.

First off, look at that guy. Look at how cool he is. Second, that skull and crossbones is Unit 684's motto. I know that mottos are supposed to be words, but words just don't do this guy justice

The men of Unit 684. Did I mentioned none of these have been published in America before?

A useful skill

Apparently part of the training was just getting dragged behind a boat.

One of the wounded members of Unit 684 is brought out. He later died, whatever his name was.

With that, the incredible story of Unit 684 ended. As far as I know, the men’s names are still unknown. I certainly searched for them high and low. I think that’s the greatest tragedy of the whole story. These men tried to fight for their country and their own freedom, but they ended up betrayed, dead, and unknown. So I think it’s important that their story be told. Plus, well, it’s quite possibly the baddest, most purely awesome and intense story I’ve ever heard. So in memory of these epic condemned ninja heroes of all craziness I say “Cheungchong!” or “Loyalty!”, Unit 684’s salute, to you

So how about them Lakers? Once again reliving the age-old Celtics/Lakers rivalry, the series is tied at 1-1 after two Laker home games. But do they have what it takes to beat the Celtics on their home court?

“The Lakers can beat anyone, anywhere,” said freshman Eli Kiani, “Kobe is awesome.”

One of the major aspects of the next game will be the officiating. After the past two games, nobody knows what to expect. The first game was an incredibly physical game; Ray Allen was handicapped throughout by a high foul count, and some of the players looked as though they were about to exchange blows. Then game two comes around, and every bit of contact came with the sound of a whistle. Now, as game three approaches, who knows what to expect?

The second key of game three will be limiting production of Ray Allen. Phil Jackson seemed to think that this was directly related to the officiating; when asked about Fisher’s defense, Phil Jackson was expressed the belief that it was directly related to the officiating. “When they take away any bumps when Fish is trying to make him divert his path and they don’t allow him to do that and they call fouls on Fish, that really gives [Allen] an opportunity to take what ever route he wants to take off on the pickers. That makes it very difficult,” Jackson explained. With eight three pointers in Game 2, Allen carried the team from beyond the arc, and freed up teammates for easy baskets.

The last key to the Laker’s success is the trio of Jordan Farmar, Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown. In game one the Laker’s bench provided more than just a spark; they were the fuel behind the opening charge. With Kobe making things work, and Gasol putting up big numbers, the quickness and speed provided largely by Farmar and Brown has helped the Lakers out in this series. Odom, however, has had a rough time of it, and has only scored eight points so far in the series. If their bench production increases, the Celtics will have a tough time stopping the Lakers.

With game three tonight, the Lakers will have their hands full. Go to http://www.nba.com/lakers/schedule/index.html for more information on their schedule

With California elections coming up On June 8th it is important for students to know what may soon become law.  Some Corona del Mar students will be able to vote for their first time next Tuesdays, some wish they could and according to voter trends, even more could care less.  Nonetheless, this article is meant to inform CdM students of the upcoming propositions.

Proposition 13:

Proposition 13 is a minor revision to the famous California initiative passed in 1978.  The original law was a land mark reform of California property tax that set the tax rate at exactly 1% of total purchasing price of a home.  The revision on Tuesday makes it so that property value is not reassessed after owners retrofit new earthquake safety mechanisms in their buildings.

The proposition is virtually unopposed.  In fact, the Secretary of State released no counter argument to the bill in the Official Voter Information Guide.  This proposition is expected to pass.

Proposition 14:

This law establishes open primaries in California.  Currently, California has a closed primary, which means that when voting a California residents can only vote for a primary candidate in the party they are registered for.  This applies to both federal and state elections.  Under an open primary registered voters can vote for whichever candidate they want, regardless of party.  Proposition 14 will not effect elections for the presidency.

Proponents of this this proposition typically site the fact that this will increase voter participation in California.  They also believe that by having a more open primary partisanship will decrease.  Opponents believe that, because the law would allow candidates to withhold their party on the ballot which would encourages business as usual politics.  The proposition will also make the voting process slightly mroe expensive, because changes will have to be made to voting procedures.

Proposition 15:

The California Fair Elections Act repeals the ban on public funding of California candidates.  Currently no state money is given to candidates seeking office in California.  This law would allow candidates to apply for a grant provided they are willing to accept restrictions on campaign spending and private contributions.

Proponents of the act argue that politicians currently spend too much time trying to fund raise  and not enough time make the lives of Californian’s better.  They also believe that candidates receive too much money from special interest groups, influencing their decisions.  They says that, “Campaigns should be won, not bough by special interests.”  Opponents to act argue that it is wrong for taxpayer’s money to be used in political campaigns and that the amount of money can be increased without voter approval.  They aslo say that proposition 15 is “full of hidden loopholes” however no specifics are given.  While proponents point out the fact that the act does not increase taxes, opponents argue that because proposition 15 increases spending it will inevitably lead to more taxes in a state that is already struggling to make ends meet.

Proposition 16:

The Taxpayers Right to Vote Act requires that in order to provide or expand electricity services to new customers, local governments must get a 2/3 vote from voters in a community.  In California approximately 24% of utilities are publicly owned, this proposition only affects these providers.  In layman’s terms in order for local governments to use “public funds” (defined loosely), local municipalities must get a 2/3 vote from the community.  The act has an unknown impact on state and local budgets.

Proponents of the act stress that the law gives more rights to the people because they have a say in how their local governments will spend money.  They believe that this is extremely important especially considering current economic times.  Opponents claim that the act will drastically limit one’s choice for an electrical provider, reducing competition; albeit without giving specifics as to how or why this would happen.  The “reductions monopoly on electricity” would increase the price of electricity for California’s residents.

Proposition 17:

Proposition 17 will allow auto insurance companies to offer a discount to drivers who have maintained their auto insurance coverage, regardless of whether they have changed providers.  It also allows companies to raise rates on those who have no history of auto insurance coverage.

Proponents argue that this will make insurance more affordable for the 80% of responsible drovers in California.  This is due to the fact that currently drivers can be penalized and lose their discounts by changing insurance companies.  Opponents dismiss this completely as a fallacy saying that the act will raise insurance rates on responsible drivers and will hurt the middle class.

On Tuesday, June 8th Newport Beach’s first Chipotle Mexican Grill will open for business in the Bluffs shopping center. The restaurant is located in the old location of Baja Fresh, which went out of business last year. This highly sought after fast food chain is expected to see a large number of customers on opening day. On the social networking site Facebook, the event “new CHIPOTLE store opening!” has nearly 2,000 confirmed guests and another 500 who may attend.

Chipotle is a Mexican fast food restaurant famous for its large “gourmet” burritos and natural ingredients. While the chain offers many other foods the burritos are by far its most popular item with 47% of customers buying the item. The second most purchased are the tacos which come in at 18%.

The chain is often compared to a family owned restaurant chain, Chronic Tacos. Both restaurants serve food in a similar manner. The best way to describe this process is that they serve food in a very “Subway-esque” manner. Meaning that customers tell an employee what you would like to eat and then you choose specific ingredients in containers that can be seen from line. The end result is a completely customized meal that has been made to the customers liking.

Subway-esque

Currently Newport Beach residents must travel a far distance if they would like to get their Chipotle. The closest Chipotle is located on Harbor Blvd in Costa Mesa. The second closest store is located at the Irvine Spectrum. The new store opening will make Chipotle runs far more convenient for Newport’s residents. Junior Zach Morton said, “Chipotle is one of those places I enjoy, but never go to, because it isn’t convenient. It’s a really good thing that it’s opening.”

Chipotle is offering many promotional giveaways on opening day. The first 100 people that visit the restaurant will be receiving a free Chipotle T-shirts. Additionally, customers will be able to enter a raffle to try and win free burritos for a year. This prize will be given to only two people.

America has developed an intimate love affair with denim, and jeggings have revolutionized the classic romance. Jeggings, the leggings that want to be jeans, first appeared at the beginning of the school year and have since dominated fashion at CdM. The term, coined by wearers of the new trend, has found its way in girls’ conversations across school.

Many girls like to show a little gluteus maximus but don’t want to endure a day of discomfort in restrictive skinny jeans. Jeggings have solved the problem. Jeans and leggings have combined to make another rare combination—comfort and style. Jeggings manage to maintain the elasticity of leggings while creating the deceiving appearance of denim. Some especially realistic styles of jeggings even have pockets and zippers attached. Girls have gone absolutely crazy over the fad.

Freshman fashionista Shea O’Hill gushes, “Before jeggings, there was no such thing as skinny jeans that are comfortable. Girls would just wear them to look cute. Now, I own four pairs of jeggings and barely wear my skinny jeans.”

Comfortable skinny jeans? O’Hill is not the only one questioning the truth in the idea. However, more and more girls have discovered the marvel of jeggings. The stretchy pant has stretched far beyond the walls of CdM. Able to be worn as either leggings or jeans, the versatile garment has become a favorite of designers, too. Many designers have quickly caught on to the trend and now make jeggings in black and gray shades, along with the original blue.

Various retailers now supply jeggings, including Target ($12), Urban Outfitters ($39), and C&C California ($128). Go find the pair of jeggings that fit you–as in, your favorite pair, because jeggings fit everyone–and fall in love with the denim look all over again.

Memorial Day means different things to different people. To some, it is a time for speeches; to many, it is a time to remember lost family members and friends, who died defending our nation. However, often times memorial day is given little thought or importance, and is overlooked by students crossing off the days until summer. But when did this day of remembrance begin?

There have been many different accounts of the original start of “Memorial Day.” There are over two dozen cities claiming to be the “birth place” of Memorial Day. While Waterloo, New York was declared the birthplace by President Lyndon Johnson in 1966, traditions tied with the date began much earlier. The first ever Memorial Day was proclaimed by General John Logan in 1868, and the idea to wear red poppies began in 1915, when Moina Michael wrote the poem “In Flanders Fields.”

Over time, Memorial Day has lost much of its significance and its recognition. The majority of America’s youth do not know what the day holiday means, and many of our society’s older members observe the holiday as a “general day for the dead.” The individuality of the holiday has continually eroded with the National Holiday Act of 1971, which made the holiday on the “last Monday oft the month.” While this is very convenient for vacation planning, it has made the holiday just another day off, and has taken away from the traditional value of the holiday.

As the Veterans of Foreign Wars foundation said, “Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public’s nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.” Despite the general decline in respect, certain groups have continued their ceremonies, and Washington D.C. dedicated the entire day to a series of parades and dedications to the troops.

So long as people continue to fight for our freedom, this day will continue to be instilled in the hearts of those close to the war. And maybe, for all of us that have benefited from the sacrifices of others, we might pick up a small part of what it means to pay the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Hello, this is your host Petersen Walrod, bringing you the spectacular final edition of the Trident Awards!

Today, we will bring you some of the most special of all awards. I was mistaken in my belief that not everyone is unique and deserving of an award, which is why I am making this final round of awards.

I guess everyone deserves a statuette than! On with the awards!

Our first award will be the “Youngest Person in Trident” Award! We are awarding this special award to the Freshman who is youngest. Our nominees include:

Michelle Kim, who has already been nominated for an award, is coming back with her youthfulness and energetic presence.

Lauren Fox, who as you all know is the most talented Freshman girl I know of!

and of course, Melissa Lapina, who is quiet and respectable.

To my knowledge, the youngest person in Trident is Michelle Kim!!! Congratulate her for her award! Yay!

Jenna Shapiro, another freshman, explained that, “Michelle is one of the most talented people I know and is also really young!”

The next award I want to give out is “Silent but Deadly”, awarded to the least talked about person in Trident. As of today this award will be referred to as the “Madeline Mains Memorial Award”.

As the award suggests, you probably haven’t even heard of these people:

Madeline Mains, we all like her, she makes good honest articles. I think that she is a fantastic person and deserves this award.

Another worthy nominee is of course Liz Barzigar, who gets consideration because she is also in JSA which makes her a very worthy person.

And last but certainly not least, Tasha Greenberg may be have the least amount of reputation for the most amount of responsibility.

The winner is… Madeleine Mains! She is awesome, I think we should all send her a congratulatory e-card!

Now we have an actual award which I think is very special. Future Trident person of the year is where I project who will be the best Trident staffperson of 2010-2011.

Dan Steele: as the name suggests, he is a solid guy. Class mom Donna Etamadi says that, “he is a very nice person!”

Katherine Fox is a solid person. I think she is legit. Ms Holk, Trident supervisor, explains that, “Catherine brings something very special to this program. She is considerate and super talented. I know that she will succeed at the next level because she not only has the tools required, but the toolbox needed to house said tools.’

Then there is Lauren Stein, who has done an excellent job as a Trident staff person and senior leader with the team.

And of course, there is Hailey Senske. Senior Cahill Maffei says “She is a nice intelligent lady – I believe she will be an invaluable leader in Trident next year for sure.”

The winner, and next year’s most valuable leader of the year is… and I announce this award with great honor, because the person winning this award is truly outstanding… I mean, this person really deserves this award! I can’t emphasize this enough. I can’t say enough how solid this person is, or how much they have  contributed to Trident.

I will go on. This person totally deserves to have a good life and certainly has a good future ahead of them. I think they could major in Journalism they are so talented. But they won’t,  because they have so qualities that are so tremendous that they will find better work elsewhere. I think they could end up in an Ivy League school some day, with a little effort.

She is just a superbly well-rounded person, she has it all: height, talent, skill. Her name is Hailey Senske! Yay! She won an award!

The yearly “Robert Cooper Walrod” award for excellence in laying out articles is a new award, given for excellence in this field.

Today, I want nominate:

Sam Lewers, who did a lot of excellent work on layouts.

Cahill Maffei, whose economist inspired layout designs were a cut above everyone else.

and Hailey Senske, who did a whole lot of work.

The winner of this award exemplifies all the qualities of Cooper Walrod, all of them, that made him a interesting Trident staffperson. The winner of this award, this person who is a lot like Cooper (other than myself) is Hailey Senske!

Thank you all for this tremendous honor!

Written by Jenna Shapiro and Melissa LaBruna

Girls and grandmas alike, along with the occasional tag-along boyfriend or husband, filed into theaters to be taken on a no-expense trip to Verona, Italy, the site notorious for Romeo and Juliet’s tragic romance. On Friday, May 14^th, this legendary city became the location of yet another complicated love affair, this time between Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and Charlie (Chris Egan) in the new rom-com Letters to Juliet.

Sophie, an American journalist, travels to Verona with her soon-to-be husband while he pursues his culinary ambitions. While sight-seeing in the city, Sophie becomes acquainted with a group of women known as the Secretaries of Juliet who respond to love letters posted on a Verona wall by broken-hearted women. After befriending the Secretaries, Sophie assists in writing replies to the letters, one of which was wedged deep between the wall’s crevices, long-forgotten. The letter had been written by a woman named Clare (Vanessa Redgrave) fifty years ago, asking for advice regarding her true love Lorenzo.

Sophie writes to the letter’s address, unsure if it would even be received. However, a week later, Clare and her unwilling nephew Charlie come to Verona, to find Lorenzo. While Sophie’s fiancé Victor is busy at a wine auction, Sophie embarks on an odyssey with Clare and Charlie traveling around Italy in search of Clare’s lost love. Throughout the journey, an unexpected friendship develops between Sophie and Charlie.

“Letters to Juliet definitely lives up to the hype,” says freshman Meredith Kline, “I went from laughing to crying to laughing again throughout the whole movie. Amanda Seyfried is an incredible actress. She really made the chemistry believable.”

Seyfried’s love connection on film has strengthened her fans’ adoration towards her. Her first major role in Mean Girls did not make her seem like the lovable type, but since then she has proven that the harsh character she played in the movie has no relation to her truly endearing personality.

“People still come up to me and say, ‘You were really funny in that,’ and I’m like, It’s not me. I think I impressed a lot of people in Mean Girls. I don’t know how I pulled that off,” Seyfried told Teen Vogue.

Seyfried went into Letters to Juliet with years of experience that have allowed her to blossom into the versatile actress that the movie industry relies on. After her big-screen debut in Mean Girls, she went on to star in the hit Broadway musical Mamma Mia! when it was brought to film in 2008. Her character as the fun-loving, carefree Sophie Sheridan, called on Seyfried’s musical abilities to fulfill the character’s potential.

With leads in two horror films, Jennifer’s Body (2008) and Chloe (2009), Seyfried had to adjust from her prominent chick flick roles. Both movies gained great viewership, justifying Seyfried’s success.

She said, “It’s fun to play characters who have these ideals you don’t have.”

In between the two thrillers, she impressed audiences yet again with her remarkable versatility when she played Savannah Curtis in the romantic drama, Dear John. An extremely anticipated movie with numerous Facebook groups, the film racked in $30.5 million exclusively in the first weekend and a jaw-dropping $80 million total.

Her role in Dear John prepared her well for Letters to Juliet. Her numerous roles as women going through the trials of love have given her her own perspective on the matter.

She told Teen Vogue, “Love is great and possible, always, but it’s very rare to have the feeling that ‘I want to be want to be with this person forever.’”

Seyfried offers a great amount of passion into her on-screen relationships, but what’s a love story without Prince Charming? In Letters to Juliet, Chris Egan took on this prestigious role, admirably embodying his (somewhat) charming character, Charlie.

Unlike Seyfried, however, Egan’s rise to fame was much more low key. In his film debut Eragon, he played the supporting role of Eragon’s cousin, Roran. This movie, based on the New York Times best-seller, was popular as expected, but Egan was not particularly recognized. His minor roles in Virgin Territory and Resident Evil: Extinction led up to his major role in the thriller Crush in which he was able to use his gymnastic abilities.

Among his movies, Letters to Juliet has given Egan the largest fan base, but the fame has not gotten to his head. Reflecting back on his time with costar Amanda Seyfried, Egan had nothing but positive things to say.

He told writer Lee Shoquist, “We had a lot of natural chemistry. If you are in a romantic comedy, you want to really click with the person and I feel like that shows onscreen. You can’t manufacture it really when it is just natural and you are both having fun. And she’s not bad to look at! She is very beautiful. So the hard part was just being very unpleasant to her. They do not have a romance straight away—it actually builds. Sophie is close to Amanda’s personality, so you are seeing very much of who she is. She is a very down-to-earth person who doesn’t take herself seriously. She is fun and crazy, like me, so we had a blast.”

About love, Egan told ATN Zone, “I think you have to be lucky to be in the right place at the right time, which goes with everything—romance or career. What you put in is what you get out in life. I definitely think it depends where the person is. If someone is going through a hard time in their life and closed off, you might not see that person.”

Seyfried and Egan happened to be right place at the right time during their careers and were able to develop a very believable romance. Their exceptional performances in Letters to Juliet enhanced the movie’s effect, causing viewers, like Kline, to laugh and cry and laugh again.

In the last round of Trident Awards, I gave credits to individuals who merited praise for their outstanding work in the course of the season for the newspaper.

For the 2010 Trident Awards closing round, I am your host, Petersen Walrod,with celebrity guest host Al Pacino!

Mr. Pacino said,”These are the big boy awards. Those awards in the first round, those guys would give up any accolade for the awards we are going to present today.”

Well put Mr. Pacino. But on with the story:

The first award we are presenting today is the award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence.

Al Pacino had this to say, “excellence is defined as having or possessing the quality of being excellent. Today’s award is going to be given to a candidate that is so deserving of this because he possesses the quality of excellence.”

The finalists for the award are all outstanding members of Trident: Jack Mulcaire is well known for his long and uninteresting articles. But he puts a lot of work into them, he truly combines good research and relevant topics to create articles which are very well known. Donna Etamadi is well known already, having to clear a whole shelf for her awards. Ranging from her consistent work on articles to the famed “Donna Show”, Donna “Mom” Etamadi has become the favorite on Trident. Last but not least there is Rupen Dajee, who basically created Trident Online, and is captain of the team.

Ok Mr. Pacino, open the letter…

DONNA ETAMADI!!!

Ms. Etamadi truly deserves this award. She displayed consistently the quality of excellence in her work with Trident. She is affectionately known as the workhorse of Trident.

“I would like to make a point here, before we move on to the next award,” Al Pacino began, “I have to make a special point about one of the young guys who had an exceptional season. His name is Erik Cvrtilik. The guy displayed tenacity through adversity and problems, and was an important contributor to Trident’s success.”

Indeed. Erik was not a finalist for any of these awards, but Evan was close in all three.

Moving on. The next award is a very special award known as the “Urban Achievers”. These lil’ guys are inner city children of promise but without the necessary means for a – necessary means for a higher education.

“You know what, this award is truly what it means to be on Trident. I think these guys are quite worthy” Al Pacino exclaimed.

“These guys are: Cahill Maffei, this guy had his burned down, and lives in what is basically a one parent home. Cahill is truly the man of the house, raising his sister and caring for his various pets. The guy has gone through so much trouble, yet he just keeps on keeping on. Donna Etamadi despite being a mother of 25 and a oppressed in this current climate, has continued to be the dominant member of Trident, winning an astounding level of awards. No one has achieved so much with so little. Lastly, and this guy I specially feel about, Jacob Ashendorf, has struggled with many health problems. He has a rare form of male early onset osteoporosis, which causes his bones to be quite literally brittle. That and his intensive asthma has kept him back, but he didn’t let it stop him. ”

The winner today is… CAHILL MAFFEI!

Cahill Maffei has had to move between states because of his parents. We all know his problems. But let’s look at his goodness – his good articles, his work, his fine efforts. Plus, we know how urban Cahill is, so the award especially fits.

Al Pacino started: “this last one, man, this is the real boss award. All the other awards mean nothing when you’re talking about this one. It takes a good deal of talent to be the best staff member, but it takes a really special individual to be the most valuable staff member. These guys and gals are all some of the finest I’ve ever met.”

The finalists for these awards are Rupen Dajee, Donna “Mom” Etamadi, and Jack Mulcaire. Mr. Pacino said, “We all know what these guys are up to, let’s just get to the freaking award already.”

The winner of MVP of Trident is……..

….

RUPEN DAJEE!

Congratulations, and thanks for everyone for participating in these fantastic Trident awards!