The Cardinal: OHS' Newspaper

Saggin’ is it Fashion or just plain Trashin’?

Saggin’ isn’t all that bad

By Marica Corry

 

       Joshua Durham, a 17-year-old high school junior in Osborne High School, believes that no one should be able to tell him how low he should wear his jeans. “It’s up to the person who’s wearing the pants,” he argues. Contrary to what Durham believes, there are people who believe that sagging is a problem. However, there are some people, like myself, who believe that sometimes sagging is appropriate and sometimes it is not.
       Durham’s sagging pants, a style popularized in the early 1990s by hip-hop artists, has been a trend for decades. According to my research online, some say that sagging got its start in prison as a way to signal to other inmates that they were "available" for a relationship. However, according to my research this is false.
       While sagging did start in prison, it resulted from the fact that many of the clothes given to the inmates were too big. Today, sagging is a form of fashion and comfort. Yet, some people believe that sagging is negative and they feel that the young men and females that sag, simply, want to be “hard core.”
       Caught sagging your pants, you could can be fine up to $500.00 and even time in jail. Is putting kids in jail really necessary to do, in my research online Al Sharpton stated. “I think we have to try to lift kids’ mind up, and they will lift there pants up.” I believe it is not fair to put it on a parent because a kid leaves there house one way, and be dressed fine, and when you get to school it’s a whole different story. I believe some people know when it is appropriate to pull up there pants; a job interviews, around professional people. Even some teachers at Osborne High school believe it is okay for this form of fashion. “I came to teach my students not to criticize on what they where,” stated Laura Stott, a math teacher, at OHS.

                                                                                       - Volume 2, Issue 1 -

New Coaches, New Thoughts

An Inside Look at the New Girls’ Basketball Coach

By Marica Corry

Ms. Lisa Williams, an administrator at OHS, has stepped down to turn over her throne as the Head Coach of Osborne High School Girls’ basketball Team. Some may think this was a bad idea and just plan stupid; however the new coach has show promise. After sitting down with Coach Mike Marchese, a new physical education teacher and the new Head Coach of the Girl’s basketball team, it is easy to see that he has a heart for teaching and coaching.

Mike Marchese was born in Upstate, New York. He has played sports as a young kid, and at his high school, he believes basketball just stuck. I asked Mike Marchese why he wanted to become a coach, “It has been a goal for a long time now, but I love sports and teaching student or anybody who is willing to learn the game of basketball.” Mike Marchese recently coached at Campbell High School, as JV boys’ basketball coach and Medolcreek for three years. Now one has to wonder, what made him want to coach a Girls basketball team coming from coaching a boys’ team. “This was a great chance for a head coach position and,” he stated and added that he wanted to be part of the family, the OHS family.

With a record of 26-30 last year, Mike Marches has accepted his duties with high expectations from not only himself but the faculty, community and students watching his every single move. As a head coach he plans to take OHS girls basketball team all the way to the State and Regional competitions. I asked Mike Marchese, “How you going to make it happen for the girls this year?” He says, “I want to make sure at the end of the season my players will be able to play the best they can, I don’t want this to be just about winning game but about improvement and dedication.” Sasha Hall and I are the managers of the Girls Basketball team and we are very much excited to be working by Mike Marchese side. He added, “I been working with the girls for about two and half weeks, and found that I am a lucky, no thankful guy to be working with such great talent and poetical, they have good grades, they carry themselves like a young lady should.” With a big smile he stated,” They are well round girls, and I am ready to take them all the way.”

 

-Volume 2, Issue 1-

A game that has embraced many fans

 A preview of the game Madden 10

By: Decarus Wright

 

 

This game has really improved coming from a teen that has been playing Madden or other video games since they were six or seven years old.

           The video game Madden 10 was released on Fri. Aug. 14, 2009 in video game stores around the U.S. It was released for the Playstation 3, Playstation Portable, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, and Xbox 360 game consoles. The Madden 10 video game features Pittsburgh Steelers Safety Troy Polamalu and Arizona Cardinals Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald on the cover. Madden is the first video game to have to players on the cover. The cover is based on last years Super Bowl between the two teams. It has been published by the Electronic Arts Video Game Company known as “ea sports” since 1993.

The first Madden video game was released in 1989 entitled “John Madden Football” for the Apple two computer. In 1991 it was released for the Sega Genesis and the Nintendo series. Game producers originally wanted the game to have six or seven players on the football field rather than the actual eleven players; Madden stated, “I am not signing my name on it if it is not real.”

Since then the video game has improved its graphics dramatically over the years. The gameplay of Madden 10 has really improved its game play since the 09 game. In Madden 09 the gameplay was not so great because they did not have realistic play. This year Madden 10 gives you the ability to mix and match uniforms to add style to your players. You can also perform 3 to 9 man gang tackles. Other game play features are “Quarterback play” with real life throwing styles, which gives you a variety to choose from in the “Create-A-Player Mode.”

A further feature is the “Wide Receiver and Defensive Back play.” As the receiver and the Defensive Back Fight for position while trying to catch the pass. What’s hot about this feature is that the two guys while push and shove for the first 5 yards while trying to catch the ball. In 09 they would not touch each other.  The game also makes improvements with the fans. Before you start the game you will see fans outside tailgating or trying to get into the stadium. The franchise mode is also new with “The Extra Point”, which is a TV show within the game with scores and updates. This will make the game better by adding real life scores and season updates. A different mode that has made adjustments is the “Online Mode.” For the first time instead of playing head to head online players can go into “Co-Op mode” to play each other on the same team.

A key forgotten feature in Madden 10 are the injuries. This year the trainers have been added, so that if a player is hurt the trainers help them off the field. The seriously injured players are taken off the field by a medical cart and sent to the locker room. You even have an opportunity to keep your in the game if his injury risk is at low or medium level. In this game the bench players are active in full pads and football wear. Some people call this game the number 1 selling football franchise in the U.S.

 

 

Volume 1 Issue 2

 

 

A Man Who Can Change the World

 A Feature on Barack Obama’s Health Care Plan

By: Decarus Wright

 

 

            U.S President Barack Obama has come up with a health care plan for families to get help with low income jobs. Despite all Obama is doing to help the country only 25 percent of citizens are in favor of it, according to my information from newswithinews.com. He wants to do everything he can to help America. Obama understands that people are being denied health coverage every day.

           The growing cost of health care places a financial burden or people with little money. They will continue to increase forcing more and more American families into debt and even bankruptcy. People of the U.S should worry because his plan will work very soon.

            Obama has a solution to stop this crisis. He will improve the quality of insurance and lower the cost. In order to keep it that way, Obama will provide good treatments and smart preventative care for citizens of America. He will also have better nutrition in medicines and cancer screenings, according to my information from barackobama.com. Technology will also play a role in Obama’s plan by reducing errors and ensuring privacy and saving lives. “We want to make this work for people and businesses, not just insurances and drug companies”, Obama says, according to an interview on barackobama.com.

           Another plan he is working on is a Children’s Health Care plan. In January 2009, the U.S senate approved his plan. It helps six to eleven million kids in this country. Obama is doing everything he can to help people in every city. With his hard work the “Yes We Can” motto is in place. This is a man who can change the world.

 

- Volume 2 Issue 1

 

A League on its Way to Greatness

An inside look on the UFL

by Decarus Wright

 

            The UFL stands for the United Football League’ which has four teams: the Las Vegas Locomotives, Florida Tuskers, California Redwoods and the New York Sentinels. The Locomotives colors are silver. The Tuskers colors are Blue. The Redwoods colors are green and the Sentinels colors will be black. All of these team’s background colors will be green and blue because the League Commissioner Michael Huyghue stated that green represents the grass and blue represents the sky. Also, the official game ball will have green stripes on it and the UFL logo that will be on these team’s helmets are green and blue. I think that these colors are pretty interesting because they stick out from the NFL.

The UFL had originally planned to start its league in 2008 with eight teams but had recently decided to start the following year. This league is a six game season that plays its games on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The first UFL season will premiere on October 8^th, 2009, when the California Redwoods will take on the Las Vegas Locomotives at 11:00pm Eastern Standard Time on Versus Network. The UFL Championship will be played Thanksgiving weekend on November 27^th, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. These games will also be played in NFL like venues. The Florida Tuskers will play at the Citrus Bowl and Tropicana Field in Orlando, Florida. The New York Sentinels will play at James M. Shuart Stadium and two additional venues in the Metro area. The Las Vegas Locomotives will play at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The California Redwoods will play at the Home Depot Center including two more venues in California.

This season the UFL will have rules similar to the NFL but will have a little twist to them such as: (1.) No Tuck Rule- this rule is when a passer loses the ball while in a throwing motion, in the UFL it is a fumble (2.) Touchdown Celebrations- celebrations that are individual or group will be in the endzone (3.) Fumbling Out of Endzones- if the ball is fumbled out of the endzone, it will be at the fumbling spot to the team that last had possession (4.) Intentional Grounding- a quarterback is allowed to ground the ball anywhere behind the line of scrimmage if he is under pressure (5.) Instant Replay- all reviews will be reviewed upstairs by an official and he will only have ninety seconds to do so (6.) Overtime- both teams will be granted possession, when a team scores the other team will get a last chance on their next possession.

The UFL has head coaches who have coached for several years and have once played professional football during their career. New York Sentinels coach, Ted Cortell, played with the Atlanta Falcons for two years. California Redwoods head coach, Dennis Green was the running back for the BC lions of the C FL. Florida Tuskers coach, Jim Haslett played eight NFL seasons and Las Vega Locomotives head coach, Jim Fassel played one year in the NFL, This league also has former NFL players for teams in the UFL such as: J.P Losman, Tim Rattay, BJ Sams, Jermaine Wiggins, and more. This league has players that will be stars of the NFL someday. These guys really didn’t get that change. The UFL is a league on its way to greatness. This situation is good for the league because these guys have mentors that can help them get better day by day.

 

 

- Volume 2, Issue 1 -