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Friday, , 2010 - VOLUME 31, Issue 4 www.cnmcountryside.com3000 S.R. 580 Clearwater, FL 33761

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Center for New Media

art credit DevilzMoonphoto credit Scott Beck

News 2

Troubled times for the Haitians Imagine if you lived in one of the poorest nations of the world. A nation where health and financial is-sues plague children and families everyday. Visualize a country that natural disasters are attracted to. Sit and think about how you would live through all those prob-lems. What if you lived in Haiti? Would you make it? In 2008 came four tropical storms struck the small country in the Caribbean. To make things worse is be-ing known as the poorest country in the western hemi-sphere, meaning this country must be flooded with peo-ple with no jobs or money. 2010 was not a good start for the people of Haiti. A devastating earthquake fol-lowed by a tragic aftershock attacked their nation; many died, mostly adults which left many children abandoned. “I think it’s terrible, those kids will miss out on their childhood”, sopho-more Annelise Barone said. The deaths of many adults left innocent children to fend for themselves. Five hundred kids were suppose to be transferred to or-phanages in USA, but only fifty-three made it. More kids are waiting to be transferred, most of them might land in South Florida because of its large Haitian population. Other children of older age were left in Haiti to take care of the younger kids that cannot be transferred to a different country and make sure they get the care they need. Some children were adopted by Florid-ians to help them get out of the country. “We’re just so excited to know we’ll be bringing her home”, Sandi Pol-zin said. According to jsonline.com, Sandi’s husband named John Pol-zin worked three years just to adopt Maize, a three years old Haitian girl who survived from the earthquake, the couple were thrilled that she sur-vived and now they are a happy family. Many donations were given to the

a.j.CABERTO & susanCOVA staff writers people of Haiti: food, medical supplies, shelter and cloth-ing.The UN (United Nations) was the biggest help of all. Many other organizations like the Red Cross helped and donated useful supplies that the people of Haiti could use. “Donating money and following the programs like texting is how i helped”, sophomore Joslyn Gwaiko-lo said. Gwaikolo proved that individuals can helped too. Profits from several concerts were given to Haiti instead of the celebrities, churches and clubs asked people for donations, and many programs on TV told us how we can help Haiti fix their country.

T h e

Bro Code, it is legendary, a set of rules for guys to follow.

Over history there have been billions of bromances from Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed, who referred to the earlier as “Linc”, to TV’s first bromance of the Lone Ranger and Tonto, to perhaps the most famous bromance of all: “ABC’s Scrubs’” JD and Turk. Almost every guy from every corner of the globe has his bro, his pal, his wing-man, his sidekick, the guy he can trust to always be there and help him out. Although there is nothing “gay about it in our eyes” as said in the song “GUY LOVE” from the musi-cal episode of “Scrubs”. Bromances have begun taking over entertainment today. Neil Patrick Harris’ show “How I met your mother” of-ten brings up the idea of Bros, between characters Barney Stinson and Ted Mosby, as a major factor of the show’s plotline. The show has even had a book published titled “The Bro Code”, and a spin-off pocket book called “Bro on the Go” along with an Iphone application named “Bro 2 Go.” In early 2009, MTV broadcasted BROMANCE”, a reality TV show, where The Hills’ Brody Jenner searched for his new best friend after his previous “brolationship” had ended terribly. Also, in spring of 2009 actor Paul Rudd starred in “I Love You, Man” where his character, Peter Klaven, was searching for a bro to be his best man at his wedding. The character to fill this position was Sydney Fife, played by How I Met Your Mother’s”Jason Segel. Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider. David Spade and Chris Farley. George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Jay and Silent Bob. Han Solo and Chewbacca. Starsky and Hutch. Scooby and Shaggy. Ke-nan and Kel. These are all just a few of the worlds most famous Bromances along with many more I’m sure you can name.

a.j.QUENELL entertainment editor

Valentine’s DayBromance

ies on Demand have made going to the movies as conve-nient as sitting on the couch. With quick and easy movie rental, you pay a $8.99 fee to get movies in the mail, two at a time. If you want blue ray movies, $2.00 is added to your fee. Once you pay the fee, you never pay another cent and you can order as many movies as you want. If you have a PlayStation 3 that is hooked to the internet, you can get your Netflix movies instantly by simply ordering the free installation CD. Although the amount of movies is limited, you can get your movies instantly. With Movies on Demand, you pay about $4.00-5.00 per movie just by using your cable television. It's not as cheap as Netflix, but still better than going to the theater.

Furthermore, you can't just watch any movie. There are certain movies that fit the Valentine's Day criteria. What's an iconic Valentine's Day movie? For those of you that don't know, here is a list! Have a happy, safe, and inexpensive V-Day!

Features 3

business directorkaylaYAMONICO

We call February 14th the day of love. Every couple gets together to plan their perfect date. The exchanging of chocolates, flowers and teddy bears brings love and happi-ness to those couples who celebrate Valentine's Day. But how did this day come about?

There are many legends pointing to the creation of Valentine's Day. One is that Valentine was a priest who married young lovers in secret because Emperor Claudius II thought that single men were better fit for being solders. Once Emperor Claudius II found out that he was secretly wedding couples, he wanted Valentine dead..

Another theory was how Valentine ended up dying try-ing to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons. The main legend most people know is how Valentine actually sent the first "valentine". Legends say that while he was in prison he fell in love with his jailer's daughter. She would come and visit him while seeing her father. Right before

his death he wrote her a letter and signed it "From your Valentine", which is an expression still used today.

Others claim that the Christians celebrated a feast in the middle of February in order to Christianize the cel-ebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In Ancient Rome, February was the beginning of Spring and was a time for purification. Spring cleaning began immediately as the houses were swept and cleansed. In the seventeenth century, Great Britain witnessed the growth of Valentine's day. By the eighteenth century, people were sharing gifts and giving tokens to friends and family. In 1840 Esther A. Howland was the first woman to sell a mass-produced val-entine in America using ribbons, lace and colorful pictures. According to the Greeting Card Association, one billion cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the sec-ond largest card-giving day in America next to Christmas. Saint Valentine expressed his love with one romantic letter showing the world the compassionate feelings that every-one shares. Happy Valentine's Day!

As Valentine's Day approaches, there is a mad search for the best way to spend the day without breaking the bank. Though going to the movies or a restaurant with the one you're trying to impress has a sweet touch, your meal or popcorn wont taste so good when you see your bill. One of the best ways to enjoy Valentine's Day is to curl up on the sofa and watch an iconic lovey-dovey movie. It's a great way to save some cash, but can also hold a greater sentimental value and will carry a memory for the ages.

Movie theaters are great. You can get out of the house, eat someone else's food, and enjoy the big screen. The downside? Getting into the theater will cost you about $9.00 each, around $12.00 for you and your date to each have a small drink, and that's not even adding gas money. Why go out and spend a fortune when you can enjoy a movie night at home? Programs such as Netflix and Mov-

staff writerkathrynWILLIAMS

Valentine's Day. A particularly pointless holiday in which couples, new and old, pack the worst of their corny and slightly sickening emotions into one 24 hour period.

From a lone bystander's point of view these couples are almost gloating; showing off how much they are loved and desired with pointless material possessions such as roses, jewelry and those little Godiva teddy bears holding $30 boxes of chocolate. While the lovebirds bask in the 'riches' of being in a relationship, the rest of us are left alone with chalky conversation hearts, cheap Hershey's chocolate and wilted carnations.

But being a lone wolf on this holiday can actually be more comical than depressing. Just look at the situation from a more positive view; YOU should be the one scoff-ing at THEM. Where do you think all those assorted chocolates are going to go? Straight to the thighs. And those roses are full of pollen and attract bees, and NO ONE wants a surplus of bees around. As for the jewelry, it is just a rock that has been polished. Congrats, you might as well wear a string of pebbles around your neck.

But if these simple facts do not help lift your spirits, there are a few things to do to get through the holiday. :1. Send your self flowers and chocolate- though effective in convincing others you have a significant other, it probably will not make your feel any better about yourself. (Plus it is kind of pathetic)

2. Avoid all romantic places such as the movie theaters and restaurants.

3. Do not laugh with them, laugh at them!

4. DO NOT WATCH LIFETIME MOVIES!

5. Hang out with your other single friends 6. Start on a project that you have been putting off for a while

news editorsaraMINEO

Single One of the best things about Valentine’s Day is

having someone special to share it with. Since the fake relationships are all going to crash and burn anyway, the main focus for this Valentine’s Day should really be put on the true couples. It is time to give credit to the couples that don’t start drama and to forget about the new break up of the day.

Juniors Gabby Pantoja and Dylan Wilson first met during their freshman year in computer class. The couple has been dating for one year and nine months and are still going strong. Gabby says that the best part of the rela-tionship is, “Knowing that someone is always going to be there for you. And the hardest part about our relationship is that we’re both really stubborn.” For this Valentine’s Day, Gabby says that what they are doing is going to be a surprise. The next sweet couple is that of sophomores Tyler Dickson and Mariam Perez. Mariam says that the best part about their relationship is always having some-one to go to whenever you need to.“The hardest part is having to put up with people trying to break us up,” Tyler said. They still do not know what they are doing for this Valentine’s Day, but Tyler says, “It’s going to be something special.” Our last couple is freshman Savannah Luther and Alex Fugate. They have known each other since seventh grade and have been dating for ten months. “She makes me laugh and she’s funny. That’s the best part about our relationship,” says Alex. “Our best memory is going to the beach and watching fireworks and for this Valentine’s Day I’m probably going to take her out to breakfast or lunch.”

So, instead of fighting with your boyfriend or girlfriend this Valentine’s Day, go up to him or her and give them a really big hug, or a kiss that has more meaning than the normal peck. Most importantly, re-member that the best gift you can give your special someone is the knowledge that you care about them.

staff writerkyleKOEHLER

Couples

Celebrate a “hallmark” holidayeditor-in-chief

kystal CASEY

MARDI GRAS MADNESS

Is two a company or a crowd?

You’re a cheap date

“It feels special to have someone to share the day with,” seniors Alexis Sullivan and Ernest Remy.Together for 3 years.

photo credit Scott Beck

* Be Careful - You never know how these things can turn out. Not to mention the kooky people you will see at the end of the night. * Have a meeting place - These enjoyable celebrations can get chaotic. Make sure you and your friends set a meeting place in case one of you gets separated from the group. * DON'T reach down to pick up your beads - It's a large crowd and people are constantly getting pushed around. If you must, put your foot over the item and pick it up when it's the absolute safest, otherwise your fingers will NEVER be the same. * Dress it up! - Be crazy. Everyone else is going to be all festive and you don't want to be the odd-ball, do you? Keep in mind that the themed colors are purple, green, and gold. * Have fun. - Enjoy the celebration. Watch the floats and catch some beads. The celebra-tion comes only once a year.

Worldwide, many know February to be month of love. However, February is also the known month of Fat Tuesday, commonly known as Mardi Gras. Many coun-tries such as, Belgium, France, Germany, India, Spain, and Sweden all take part in the festivities. Many of the celebra-tions begin on the day of epiphany and end on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. To tell which date Fat Tuesday will fall on, remember that Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before Easter and Easter always coincides with the first Sunday after a full moon.

While many of these celebrations take place through-out the world, in the area-you can expect the well-known festivities of Downtown Dunedin to take place. However, the parade will take place on February 16, a week before the actual Mardi Gras. Gates will open at 5pm and admis-sion is free. The parade starts at 7:30pm with performances throughout the night. Featured performers include Lil' Malcolm & the House Rockers at 5:30pm and Waylon Thibodeaux at 9pm.

Universal Studios will be featuring the largest Mardi Gras celebration outside of New Orleans. Opening night was February 6 and will continue on Saturdays and select weekday nights until April 17. It will feature a spectacu-lar parade with colorful floats and extravagant costumed characters with hot performances from Akon, Flo Rida, 3 Doors Down, and Miranda Lambert. Admission is free with the purchase of a Universal Studios Florida® ticket.

It doesn't matter how you celebrate or where, just besure to enjoy your Mardi Gras like no other before.

Tips:

photo credit www.istockphoto.com

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AWK

staff

write

r

Mrs.

Cer

aolo

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onne

ll: M

rs. C

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O’D

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ll fir

st wa

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to b

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appr

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was

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logy

. Mrs.

Cer

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alw

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knew

she

wan

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to w

ork

with

chi

ldre

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e ju

st alw

ays t

houg

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wou

ld b

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ach-

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them

scie

nce.

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lieve

Mrs.

Cer

aolo

’s su

cces

s is

all d

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o he

r lo

ving

natu

re. “

I alw

ays

want

ed to

hav

e a

large

fam

ily, j

ust

like

my

gran

dma.”

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plan

ned

on h

avin

g lo

ts an

d lo

ts of

kid

s, he

r stu

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s give

her

th

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ge fa

mily

she

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1th

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each

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to

start

thin

king

abo

ut te

achi

ng fo

r a li

ving.

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as g

ood

at m

ath,

and

it wa

s a ve

ry ap

-pe

aling

idea

,” Sh

e en

ded

up g

oing

to c

ol-

lege

for

mus

ic bu

t disc

over

ed it

just

was

not

a co

rrect

fit.

But

mat

h, m

ath

alway

s stu

ck w

ith h

er. M

rs. P

resc

ott h

as ju

st re

-ce

ntly

take

n ov

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nalys

is of

func

tion

and

inte

nsive

geo

met

ry c

lasse

s as

a f

ull t

ime

teac

her.

Mr.

New

berr

y: A

s a yo

ung

boy,

Mr.

New

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rry

want

ed to

be

a fa

rmer.

And

at o

ne

poin

t in

time,

he a

ctua

lly w

as, N

ewbe

rry

foun

d a

grea

ter

calli

ng t

houg

h. T

o be

a

vete

rinar

ian w

ould

be m

ost f

ulfil

ling i

n hi

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EntErtainmEnt 5

English writer and director, Guy Ritchie’s most re-cent film is quite a departure from his earlier work. With Sherlock Holmes, he takes his characteristic style of fast-paced and twisting storylines to the cobblestone streets of Victorian era London. Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, the film was released on Christmas Day. It’s theater run has made a profit of 300 million dollars and received generally positive reviews, including 3 out of 4 stars from Roger Ebert. While the film is a far cry from the original Holmes adventures, it is an excellent adaptation for today’s more demanding film-going audi-ences. The movie follows the adventures of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) as he is forced to deal with the imminent departure of his longtime friend and partner Dr. John Watson (Law). Holmes’ concerns are soon deemed unimportant when the machinations of satanist Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) threaten to destroy London. Holmes is hindered in his investigation

ryanDUCHANEeditor

by Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), the only person who had ever been able to outsmart him. The entire cast gives strong performances, but Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. steal the show, and their portrayal of the detective duo expresses the relationship between the two friends per-fectly. The only real complaint one could have against the movie is that it is too action-packed for a Sherlock Hol-mes story. Co-writer/producer Lionel Wigram addressed this issue in an interview with ComingSoon.net, saying “A lot of the action that Conan Doyle refers to was actually made manifest in our film. Very often, Sherlock Holmes will say things like, ‘If I hadn’t been such an expert short stick person, I would have died in that’ or he would refer to a fight off screen. We’re putting those fights on screen.” The elaborate storyline, cockney accents, and fast-paced writing may confuse some audiences, but fans of Sherlock Holmes, British films, or just plain good cinema can all appreciate the fantastic work that has gone into the film. So, as to whether or not you should go see the movie, the answer is “elementary”: yes.

Some vampires don't suck Vampire Weekend is indie royalty. They speak about things they know and for the four well-educated boys, it’s socialite parties with girls who don’t like them and drink-ing drinks we common people have never heard of. Their second album, Contra, succeeds in mixing NYC hipsters and rough Mexi-can streets with a pinch of tribal flavor. It’s a hard task but the boys have done it once again. Vampire Weekend sounds like the Shins taking a long vacation in Jamaica. Each song builds on another with sometimes ambient tones in the background making it a perfect album to go to sleep to. They draw upon Ice-landic band Sigur Rós and Grizzly Bear, an odd combo but somehow it works. Adding to the eclectic sounds is the brilliant word usage that only Columbia grads could come up with like “your sword’s grown old and rusty, underneath the ris-ing sun, it’s locked up like a trophy, forgetting all the things

it’s done” in Giving Up the Gun. Holiday is the song that all the D.C. senators’ interns are listening to while writing bills that could save the world, and Taxi Cab is in desper-ate need of an Apple commercial featuring a super cool tiny laptop that can fit in your pocket or something. Its

lyrics — “In the shadow of your first attack, I was ques-tioning and looking back, you said baby we don’t speak of that, like a real aristocrat” — pretty much don’t make any sense at all but isn’t that what Apple commercials like the most? If you hate Vampire Week-end, I suggest not walking into any uber-cool store any time soon. Sorry H&M reg-ulars, you’re destined to hear Contra beaming from pretty sparkly speakers. The band is just beginning their career and have proven themselves already with the attitude that they are not afraid to take any chances. Pretty much ev-

erything on their sophomore album is packed in a perfect little beaten up box that will

keep on rattling for the rest of 2010.

rachelLUBITZeditor

Vampire Weekend’s newest album, Contra, is an instant hit. Expect to hear it played everywhere as its run con-tinues. photo credit: crashmusic.com

Holmes’ newest case is a hit Rated "R" for Rihanna “Come on, come on, come on in,” Rihanna invites you into her fourth studio album, “Rated R”, in track num-ber one, “Mad House”. Rihanna shows an edgy, dark and sexual side of her that many have not seen until this Bill-board Chart-topping album was released. I believe this darker, more sensual woman that has been divulged is in part aftermath of the troubling relationship that she just ended with fellow R&B/Hip-Hop singer Chris Brown, due to domestic violence. She does not directly address the issue in her songs but she by no means ignores it. Many of the songs are about love but it is necessary to read between the lines, considering the love is char-acterized by use of violent/war-like metaphors. The lyrics are embel l i shed in angry tones and profan-ity. “Wait your turn”, “Rus-sian Roulette”, and “Fire Bomb” are perfect examples. Elements of rock ‘n’ roll are bountiful throughout the album. Her style has altered dramatically from the long-haired 17 year-old shaking her hips in “Pon De Replay”. She has however sauntered back to her roots in some forms. She uses her island influence to create a unique and beauti-ful cadence in songs like “Te Amo” and “Rude Boy”. The hit single “Hard” featuring Young Jeezy was the sec-ond single to be released. In it Rihanna says to the critics and haters, “I see you aiming at my pedestal, I better let you know that I, I, I, I’m so hard...”. As all four of her albums have certified either gold or platinum status and her only competition seems to be Beyonce, it is safe to say that she is sitting on a marble pedestal laced with diamonds and gold. Offered to subscribers of “Nokia Comes With Music” are two bonus tracks, a remix of “Russian Roulette” and “Hole in my Head” featuring Justin Timberlake. “Rated R” holds a peak position on the U.S. Billboard 200 charts at #4 and also holds down the #1 spot on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Since it’s release, the album has sold over 1 million copies and is still selling strong. Due to having only thirteen tracks, I feel the album was cut short. Quality is much appreciated over quantity, but I still feel as if Rihanna could have given us more.

heatherEBERTfeatures editor

Rating:

photo

cred

it:ra

p-up

.com

SportS 6

nothin’ but net!fans, and the cheerleaders were cheering the team on as best they could. The outcome, however, was not so good. Making this game the first loss of the season for the Var-sity players, everyone left the gym heads hanging, with the scoreboard blinking 73-51. Largo wins. The varsity boys have been at the top of their game this season with sixteen wins and seven losses. With those stats the boys easily made it to the district games, the question

With the sound of the whistle, the game begins. The ref tosses the ball up between the two teams. Muscles flex as the boys leap to swipe the ball, take it down court, and with a swish of the hoop the Countryside Cougars’ basketball team scores the first two points of the game. The boys basketball season started November 23, with a game against Osceola. Junior Varsity played their hardest, but came up with a loss. Varsity, however, tore the War-riors apart with a final score of 60 to 42. Coach Myron Huey started this season with only two returning play-ers from his last season team. Seven seniors graduated and went on to bet-ter things leaving the team with only Dino Tabakovic and Jared Low. Huey had to rely on the junior varsity players to hold the team up. Tabakovic has been the best of-fensive player averaging in 16.7 points. Jared has been the on the defensive, enclosing on the opposing team and averaging 3.3 steals. The two of them had to work hard and help the new teammates do their best. This year the Cougars got a big help with the addi-tion of Kyle Kinnear, who transferred from Palm Harbor University High. This six-foot-seven player is averaging 6.3 rebounds and 14.2 points. “Countryside just had a better bas-ketball team,” senior Kyle Kinnear said about why he came here this year. With Kinnear and the new players that have moved up from last years Ju-nior Varsity, the boys have given their opponents a run for the title. The biggest game for them was against Largo and it was intense. The stands were packed with Countryside

nicoleHARRISstaff writer

is can they make it to the playoffs, or even the state cham-pionships. “We want to make it to the playoffs, which is after districts, you have to win to stay in,” sophomore Diomi Roberts said. Basketball has always been a prestigious sport here at Countryside, but why did the players become so interested in basketball in the first place?

“I started after I quit soccer and I’m tall so basketball was perfect,” senior Dino Tabakovic said. The Varsity boys have their first district game on February 5th against(DONT KNOW). If they win, they will go on the their first playoff game, and from there who knows? We could slip right into states. The girls basketball team has also been in action since November 17, kicking the season off with a game against the Dunedin Falcons. Once again junior varsity tried their hardest to beat out the competition, but fell short against the Falcons. Girls Varsity team worked hard, and came out with a victory that night with a victorious score of 51-31. The Lady Cougars made it to the playoffs this season, beating the Palm Harbor Canes. Savannah Stona had an outstanding 17 points while Aly Grossman made two three pointers, these two were unstoppable. With the help of the rest of the team the girls basketball team made a slam dunk and killed the Canes. In the playoffs against the St. Pete Devils the girls came out with an unfortunate loss. Ending the girls road to state championships. “Everyone was upset, we were hop-

ing for a big win,” junior Savannah Stona said.

On the left is senior Dino Tabakovic soaring over Dunedin Falcon player Mike Kostacky, at their game over Thanksgiving break on Tuesday November 24, 2009. On the Right is

senior Nicole Dunn towering over her apponent, Alex Rawls of the East Lake Eagles, for the ball on Monday January 4, 2010. photo credit Nicole Bolton

Soccer’s redcard hemor“rage”nicoleBOLTON

sports editor

There’s only a minute left in the big game, the score’s tied, and finally someone on the team makes a fantastic play to put your team ahead. After making that outstand-ing play and keeping the celebration tame so you don’t get penalized for “excessive celebrating” an opposing player decides to “talk trash” and your adrenaline is pumping so it’s fight or flight time. Naturally you choose fight.

Bad choice, you’ve now either verbally or physically at-tacked someone and have been ejected from the rest of that game or possibly the rest of the season. Well everyone bite your tongue, take a step back and think before you yell or act out after hearing someone “talk trash” or after the “bad call” from the referee because you may be facing the

consequences. Before leaving for the winter holi-

day, Countryside’s boys soccer team had an eventful night

on December 17th against East Lake. Not

only did the guys lose 1-0 to the Eagles,

they suffered by having three peo-ple red carded.

For those who don’t know, in soccer a player can

receive either a yel-

low or a red card for intolerable behavior. Yellow cards are given for less serious but still frowned upon behavior, such as: persistently breaking rules, entering or leaving the field without the referee’s permission, or faking an injury. A player who receives two yellow cards is then given a red card for reasons, such as: serious foul play or violent conduct, using vulgar language or gestures or spitting at anyone. Those violators are immediately ejected out of the game.

In Pinellas County, players that are red carded are not only removed from the rest of the game, but can be sus-pended for six weeks and sometimes have to pay up to a $200 fine. The severity of the offense determines the ex-tent of the punishment. Head Coach David Sica was red carded that night at the Eagles’ field.

“They said he was rushing the field too much and en-dangering the players, which I don’t think he was at all,” junior Andrew Hitt said.

Along with Coach Sica, juniors Nikolai Hammer and Kyle Eichhof were booked and red carded. Hammer re-ceived his red card for “punching” an opponent. When asked about what happened he stated that he did not punch the guy, however he did tackle him. Eichhof was removed from the game for “kick-ing” an opponent on the ground. Hammer has been suspended from playing for six weeks, which is the rest of the regular season. On the bright side however, if the team makes it into the

finals Hammer will be able to play in the last couple games. Where Eichhof on the other hand, was only suspended for two games. “The game is played and offi

ciated by humans and sometimes humans are wrong,” Sica said.

He has been coaching at Countryside for ten years. Prior to this season, he has only had two other players red carded. The boys soccer program has been a top contender, and a strong competitor in the county for several years. In 2006 they were named 6A State Championships. The team lost nine seniors last year, four of whom went on to play college soccer. You would think that by losing that many people the team may of struggled in some way, but Sica believes that in saying goodbye to those graduates of ‘09, this year’s team has stepped up and proven their tal-ents. So far this year the boys have a record of 13 wins 7 losses and one tie as of January 14. The season has proven to be an eventful one for the cougars and will have to say farewell to seven more players this year. Those seniors are, Mike Lion, Devin Wiggs, Zuhdi Abdallah, Chris Massell, Abraham Pineada, Danny Escamilla and Zach Morel. It’s always a shame to say goodbye, but where one story ends, another begins.

“All of them [underclassmen] have such potential,” Sica said, “the future looks very good for the boys soccer team.”

photo credit Nicole Bolton

When high school students wake up to go to school they either forget to eat breakfast or just skip it all together. Not only is this an unhealthy choice on its own, but it can lead to another un-healthy choice: Buying food from the schools vending machines. The majority of the food is very unhealthy and the ones that are sup-posedly healthy are not much better. Whether or not most students care what they eat, I’m pretty sure that most of those who eat vending ma-

chine food on a daily basis have no idea how bad it is for them. Whether

it is bringing food from home or just eating a good breakfast before school are both probably much healthier and less expensive. Based on the poll results, 60% of students care about what food op-

tions they should have that are easily accessible. The other 40% either want only the same foods in our machines or they don’t use them. Also, during our fund raiser, we did a

little experiment. We started selling “Healthy Snacks” and although they sold, it took more than a month to sell. After the “Healthy Snacks” we started to sell chocolate bars. The chocolate bars sold out in about a week for one box. So whether or not there should be healthier options, the majority of students would much rather buy a choco-late bar instead of an advertised “Healthy Snack”

Grub 7

Baking with Sara! Baking; the way to a man’s heart. Looking for something festive to bake for this Valentine’s Day? It does not have to be a very difficult and complicated recipe to taste good. Most of us, while we would love to, do not have the time to spend an entire day baking our valentine a cake. Thanks to Pillsbury, we only need to spend about 40 minutes (based on the type of pan we use) to make a savory and decadent masterpiece.(This recipe was taken from Pillsbury’s Valen-tine’s Funfetti® Cake Mix box) What You Need: Pillsbury® Funfetti® Cake Mix 1 cup of water 1/3 cup of oil 3 eggs Before you begin:- set oven to 350 degrees.- lightly coat bottom of pan (or pans) with cook-ing spray or shortening and flower dusting. For cupcakes, use baking liners.

Pan Sizes: 13X9 inch- 32 to 36 min. Two 8 inch round- 32 to 36 min. Two 9 inch round- 27 to 31 min. 24 cupcakes- 18-22 min. Start: Grab a large bowl and mix water, oil, and eggs along with cake mix. I would advise to beat with a wire whisk by hand which is slower, but makes the cake more fluffy after it is baked. Stir in the candy pieces that are included in the box with a spoon. Then pour batter into pan. Then bake. After Bake: Insert toothpick in center of cake and if it comes out clean then the cake is done. Wait until the cake is cool before frosting. Use a spatula and loosely cover.

Fun ideas:Bake in a heart-shaped baking tin Use Valentine’s day sprinklesPut icing in a plastic bag, zip up and cut a small hole in the corner. Squeeze and draw words and designs on your cake. Anna Stolz- baking recipeWyatt Wisenburg- mud cookies

The time has come and making its way into town on February 4, 2010 the Florida State Fair will put up their thrill rides, water slides, kids rides, and fun games on the State Fair grounds to entertain and host families, friends, and sports events for only 12 days. It comes around every year with tons of food, shopping, and shows. Also to enjoy scenery and take a break from walking, you can hop aboard the sky ride viewing all rides and avoiding the crowds. This is the 106th fair and as always they provide tons of food for everyone who attends and it’s eaten all up. The types of foods vary and there are some never before thought of to eat in your life items to indulge in. Ranging from the original hot dogs, hamburgers, corn dogs, and cotton candy, the fair brings new foods and beverages al-most each year they come. As of last year they introduced non other than chocolate dipped bacon, who would have thought to use a breakfast item and just slap on some delicious chocolate syrup and turn it into a great snack/dessert, where people seem to have enjoyed it. They also have deep fried green beans and fried pickles. Some thirst quenching, sooth the throat beverages they have are they very cheery float made with cherry soda. And for Valentines Day only they have available heart shaped funnel cakes for lovers who stroll on through on the special day. They also have Sweet potato fries and you can add to that some maple syrup and powdered sugar. Other out of the ordinary, fair style foods to fill your stomach up with are ribbon fries on a stick and for extra taste you can add ranch, cheddar, salt & vinegar, and/or barbecue sauce. Also they have jerk style sausage a new fla-vor, Maryland grilled crab cakes which are crab cakes with an ice cream scoop,made into a patty then grilled. The fair also produces fresh fruit on a stick for healthy eating, and the variety of choices are watermelon, canta-loupe, strawberries, honey dew, pineapple, and grapes. A new food that popped in this year is Conchatta (cold pizza) and is also new to Alessi who now sells it in her bakery in Tampa. Another spot for dining is LA PLAZA Hispanic Village where you will find authentic foods from Latin American countries. The catering/food services who have provided these foods and beverages are places such as, O Brien’s Food Ser-vice, Paulette’s Food Service, K & K concessions, Bailey’s Concessions, and Wonderland Amusements.

kaleyNEMETH

No choice but good onesparkerANDERSEN

Poll: Should Vending Machines have healthier foods? Yes-60% No-26.7% Don’t care-13.3% (out of 20 students)

saraMINEOnews editor

Eat ‘em up!

staff writer

opinion editor

So You Think You Can... 8

A triple threat in drama is someone who can act, dance, and sing. Countryside junior, HannahZazzaro, prevails at all three of these, along with much more. For the past 3 years Hannah has appeared in almost all of Countryside’s productions. Her vast performances include: Mable in her middle school production of “Pirates of Penzance”,

and while attend-

ing Coun-tryside she has appeared as Ducky in “Honk”, A bird in “Frog and Toad”, Daisy Mae in “Li’L Abner”, The Mill Worker in Working, and her dream role of Maria in “West Side Story”. When asked how she got her start, Zazzaro claimed that she’s been singing since pretty much before she could talk. At a young age, she learnedthat she

Performloved to be the center of attention, the person everybody is looking at. She even did karaoke in bars with her mom. Since she was just 12 years old, Hannah has been attend-ing Ruth Eckerd Hall,which now sponsors her and is pro-viding multiple scholarships to her. While there, Zazzaro does chorus, choir, dance, music theory, musical theatre and mu-sic lessons on top of teaching classes. She has appeared in the musical “Into the Woods” as Little Red Riding Hood at Ruth Eckerd.

After every show, Hannah loves to have a meet

and greet with the audience. “I

enjoy the critique i get from the audience it helps me grow stronger,”

Zazzaro said. Hannah’s goals are to either persue opera in Germany, the home country of her famous voice teacher Edvard Crader, or head to Chicago or New York to per-form on Broadway. Now that she is done with “West Side Story” and she has performed her dream role at such a young age, a new dream has been created. Han-nah is now striving to one day perform as Queen of the Night in the opera “The Magic Flute”.

a.j.QUENELLentertainment

photo credit AJ Quenell, Ryan Duchane, Liam Duchane, Scott Beck and Jair Rodriguez.