Come see the hilarity that ensues when a wily Roman slave attempts to help his young master sail off into the sunset with the pretty (dumb) girl. Too bad Dad thinks she’s the accommodating new maid, and she’s already been promised off to a fiercely egotistical captain in the Roman army. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a fast – paced musical farce set in ancient Rome. You will laugh (a lot), cry (because you’re laughing), and groan like … well, you can imagine.

Some reviews from top critics:

“This is one rollicking, frolicking comedy.” – Virgil

“The live music of the orchestra led by Frank Moura will have you dancing in the aisles” – Cicero

“The comic genius of Zachary W. Abt is unparalleled…You will be rolling in your seats.” – Horace

“Fresh and Inspired direction” – Ovid

“It’s badass” –Catullus

Performance Dates:

Friday, March 12 @ 7pm
Saturday, March 13 @ 2pm & 7pm
Thursday, March 18 @ 7pm
Friday, March 19 @ 7pm
Saturday, March 20 @ 7pm

Tickets:
1st Time:

Adults – $12

Students – $10

12 & Under – $8.
Return Shows:

Adults – $8

Students – $5

12 & Under – $5.
Tickets are sold at the door.

Directors: Mrs. Peoples and Maya Lozinski
Stage Managers: Kendall Dubroff and Margaret Ringler
Choreographer: Vincent Leonin
Theater Manager and Lighting Design: Cara Arcuni

Cast:
Pseudolus………………Zach Abt
Hero……………………..Matt Schertler
Philia…………………….Claire Uschersohn
Senex……………………Keenan Rehlich
Domina………………….Kelly Davis
Hysterium………………Ali Candlin
Marcus Lycus………… Holly Smolik
Miles Gloriosus……….Henry Mouat (1st weekend), Michael Farzi (2nd weekend)
Erronius…………………Tom Liggett
Proteans…………………Claire Jungleib, Dana Rust, and Hanna Berggren
Tintinabula……………..Aili Jiaravanont
Panacea………………….Alyssa Westfield
Geminae…………………Maddie Napel and Maya Jevans
Vibrata……………………Danielle Hill
Gymnasia………………..Kristen Wong
Chorus……………………Aliya Hasoon, Libby Farel, Francesca Zaffirir-Suzarte, Hannah Schneider, Brooke Delly

The following playlist gives you a tool for keeping your mind sharp while fighting whatever comes your way. So stand up and get ready to punch that homework in the face while you listen to a delectable mix of various kinds of rock.

The Squeeze (Street Sweeper Social Club): Nothing like a little anarchist anthem to start a playlist off with the combo of strong rap and blasting guitar. Thank you Tom Morello.

Can’t Stop (Red Hot Chili Peppers): Slowly transitioning us from rap to rock, the rhythm keeps the energy moving in preparation for the upcoming diabolic duo of hard rock.

Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja (Lostprophets): Best song name ever. I don’t know what Shinobi is (a kind of sushi?) but I love it already.

Sin with a Grin (Shinedown): I wish I had some deep insight on the lyrical progression of this song, but I don’t. It’s just badass and fun in a sick twisted way.

Prayer of the Refugee (Rise Against): With both poignant lyrics and unique instrumentals, Rise against proves that they do not play the same stuff over and over and over. For this song.

TNT (AC/DC): If I had women to the left of me, and women to the right, I probably would write a song as remarkably epic as this one.

The Pretender (Foo Fighters): Often overplayed, but ever potent, The Pretender remains a hard rock landmark. Of awesomeness. And deep varied word choice.

Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand): It’s song I sing to pretty much every girl ever. Though not to effective, its still an amazing song.

The Little Things (Danny Elfman): Known for its appearance in Wanted, this is a wonder often forgotten after the credits, and one that deserves to be on every iPod and playlist.

Red Sector A (Rush): Just listen to the words, they are chilling, but in a way that inspires you to raise your head after ten rounds of intense calculus.

Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya (Dropkick Murphys): Ironically an anti-war song in a fighting playlist, the song remains a testament to the power of a rise and fall in a song.

What’s Left of the Flag (Flogging Molly): Almost everyday I hear myself mutter “then the rosemary beads count them one two three”. It’s an addicting song that will be stuck in your head until you finally get to wipe that golden tear from your mother dear.

The most recent example is Garfield. I love Garfield. I grew up on Garfield; the majority of my attempts at humor are derived from the antics of Garfield. But recently the comic has become stale. I can no longer open treasured anthologies, because the new comics in the paper are essentially the same recycled jokes over and over and over again. I’ll give Jim Davis credit, he has been trying hard to open up new material, giving the protagonist Jon a girlfriend thus opening swaths of humor. But in the process, he made his comic lose some of its magic and unique identity. At 32 years of age, the comic is past its expiration, but it continues to be printed.

Unfortunately, this trend is evident in many comics in the newspaper; Dagwood has been going on for 75 years passing creative control from father to son. Marmaduke and Beetle Baily are others comics where the adorable gag and characters have simply run their course, it is time for their genius to be left to anthologies and give new comics and chance in the pages. The magic of a comic needs to stay intact; As much as we want to see the Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes back in the papers, when we look back on their relatively short runs, we remember a time when every day brought innovation, when never did your eyes skip over the strip after noticing a familiar punch line.

The fact of the matter is that there is genius sprouting up everyday. In the last decade we have had Candorville and Pearls Before Swine appear. Both are brilliant comics which capture the modern mood of cynical and snarky comedy. We have had Lio that has worked in an alternative form, with little to no dialogue, exploring new forms of comic humor. The fresh ideas and comics are out there, but with limited space and many comics staying in the papers for generations swaths of creativity are overlooked.

We have to give papers credit though, they need business, and a famous long loved comic like Garfield is far more likely to attract readers than an experimental new comic about a trekkie journalist who twitters constantly. Newspapers are in the dumps, and they do need all the business they can get just to keep their head above water. But papers cannot sacrifice art and innovative humor merely for devoted readers, as it is the new strips that will draw in and keep the new generation of readers.

There is an expiration date on every comic, and far too many last beyond slowly curdling the magic of the strip. I love Garfield, but its time that Jim Davis put down the pen and let a new artist draw the next character that captures the world’s imagination. In the words of Bill Watterson “It’s a magical world,…Let’s go exploring!”

The Bears, having won once in the last six games, were looking to prove that they belonged. However, they began their game against the Bruins as they had in almost every game this year. They had many scoring opportunities but could just not finish. Edgardo Molina almost scored midway through the first half, but the shot was collected by the Santa Clara goalie. The Bears also had terrific defense. Goalie Derek Carver stopped everything that came close to the net, including a terrific stop in which he tipped the ball up over the top of the goal. The Bears also had great defensive play by senior Gabe Kaplan. Right before halftime, Jesus Garcia booted a free kick to Adam Zuckerman, whose header sailed inches wide, leaving the first half score at 0-0.

M-A picked up the intensity in the second half; they had many scoring opportunities and out-played Santa Clara. With about 9 minutes left in the game, Kaplan took a free kick that was knocked around and eventually headed in by Molina. The players, coaches, and fans went crazy, cheering as loud as they could in what they thought was a game-winning goal. During an unprecedented eight minute stoppage period, the referees called a controversial penalty inside the box, and Santa Clara capitalized, tying the game up at 1 apiece. The Bears tried to score again, but time ran out, sending the game into overtime. In the first of two overtimes, the Bears took control, but missed several shots that could have given them the lead. The second overtime, however, was all Bruins, as a seemingly routine shot slipped through Carver’s hands and into the back of the net. The goal occurred after a collision in which Aaron Oro was injured, although there was no call. However, Derek Carver found out that he had actually been playing on a broken foot for about a third of the game which occurred when he was shoved after making a save and landing awkwardly.  It was a tough loss, but on the bright side, “we didn’t lose that game, we had it stolen from us by the refs,” said senior captain Gabe Kaplan.

Steve Lippi
Instructional Vice Principal

Measuring Cups (Andrew Byrd): Starting us off with soft bums, Byrd sets the mood by playing his characteristic tune and raising you to the first level of relaxation.

(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay (Otis Redding): The ultimate song of freedom, Otis Redding sings about the dream of every teenager, the chance to be free from parents and school.

New Slang (The Shins): Though you may not have seen Garden State, you most likely know this song as that tune you heard once in passing. Enjoy this déjà vu inducing song.

Sex and Candy (Marcys Playground): Often mistaken for Nirvana, the song talks about the two greatest things ever: disco and lemonade.

Swing Life Away (Rise Against): Again, along the same vein of relaxation with a hint of freedom, this simple song breaks from the punk rock style of Rise Against.

Just Breathe (Pearl Jam): I’ll be honest, this song made the cut simply because it is one of my favorite songs ever, and though not the most vocally superb, it is touching nonetheless.

Marigold (Dave Grohl): The original recording of a song that is on Nirvana’s sacred song list, a simple unaltered tune capturing the essence of lonely strength.

Everlong (Foo Fighters): The acoustic version of a hard rock classic, Everlong is arguably the greatest Foo Fighters song ever written.

Ungodly Hour (The Fray): If you have the chance, listen to this song around midnight, and watch the words begin to match how you feel (or do you change to match the words? Mystery and music, this playlist has it all!).

Misguided Ghosts (Paramore): Its not talking about Casper, but Paramore delivers another angst filled classic to ease the minds of worried listeners.

Home (Foo Fighters): I know, it’s a Dave Grohl heavy playlist, but this often overlooked song captures the importance of that place we struggle to escape, home.

End of the Movie (Cake): If you lasted this far on the playlist, then I hope these lyrics will ring true for you capturing that simple satisfaction of the end.

When asked about the amount of homework, Mrs. Otsuka replied, “We are trying to acknowledge this is an elective class and are keeping the homework load light.” Workload aside, however, Mrs. Otsuka says Russian Lit.  is an honors level course and will be appropriately “challenging and exciting.”

“I want my students to consider important questions about the literature, the world and themselves,” she explains in the syllabus for the course.

During the semester, students will have regular quizzes and tests. They will also have regular writing assignments, including six to eight papers. So if you are looking for an easy “A”, this is not the class for you. Grades will be based on performance over a range of different subjects including personal essays, group presentations, quizzes, exams, etc.

The course is not focused on just one type of literature or history. Students in the class will go through a poetry unit, read multiple novels, write research papers and give in-class presentations.

Although many of parts of the class have yet to be worked out, Mrs. Otsuka has high hopes for its success. She and Mr. Florio are  trying to plan a trip to Russia, where they will visit many of the places they read about. The trip is planned to start in St. Petersburg and to continue to other parts of Russia. The trip is expected to last about ten days and would offer a great “hand-on” way to learning about the finer aspects or Russian culture and literature.

For more information on the class you can visit Mrs. Otsuka in C-11 or Mr. Florio in B-10.

The perfect mix of rock and hip-hop music inspired cheering from the crowd for all the models and dancers. The dance numbers got the crowd clapping to the beat, and out of all three shows, the night show brought in the most people. The lunch and 4 o’clock show brought in a solid crowd, but the evening show was sold out over a week ago.

Senior Erin Kelley, who participated in the show this weekend, could not have been happier with how it turned out, saying how “it was a great bonding experience that ignited everyone’s need for senior spirit.”

All of the students, parents, and PTA’s hard work paid off in the end. With eighteen model segments, six dances, and three performances, this event brought in people of all ages and was a main fundraiser for M-A. Special thanks to Jill Smith, who was in charge of the themed backdrops, Nona Ybarra who choreographed the dances, and Kim Selby, who was the creative force behind the entire show, for making the 2010 Senior Fashion Show one for the books.

Come back later this week for more fashion show pictures!

The initial hazards included not only the distribution of damage caused by shaking, but also the possibility that strong aftershocks might follow.  When there is plate activity along a thrust fault, like the one that exists between the Nasca and South American faults, there is a chance of increased pressure along the ends of the fault activity, resulting in a large aftershock.  In fact, two major aftershocks of 6.9 and 5.8 have hit Chile this weekend, scaring some citizens into sleeping in tents rather than re-entering their houses.

As far as the damage from the shock goes, an official report is yet to be released.  Most times it can depend entirely on how well the structures in the area are built.  In Haiti, where the building structure is notoriously weak, an estimated 70 thousand buildings collapsed, and 10% of people in those areas died.  Presumably, the structures in Chile have been built with increased earthquake awareness, because major earthquakes are a frequent occurrence in their history.  They have a building code that, much like that of the Bay Area, emphasizes earthquake safety.

Haiti, aside from lacking the economic benefits of Chile, has not experienced a major earthquake in over 200 years, so their buildings are not reinforced with iron rebar.  Rebar, said Stein at a press conference this afternoon at USGS, raises the price of constructing a building by 15%, but it can make “the difference between a building that kills people” and one that will survive a major quake.

According to the USGS, tsunamis can travel about as fast as a jetliner.  Their power does not significantly decrease until they hit the shore, so the tsunami triggered by the earthquake hit California at 12:30 pm and Hawaii at 1:00 pm, both on Saturday.  One of the biggest dangers with tsunamis is that they move at about 40 miles an hour, so by the time you can see the swell, it is too late to outrun it.  A half-meter tsunami wave can pull a person out to sea.

In one Chilean coastal town, the tsunami killed over 300 people and wreaked havoc on the harbor and homes.  In Hawaii, however, neither death nor serious damage has been reported. Because they had more than twelve hours to operate, the tsunami warning center in Hawaii managed to completely evacuate the beaches and coastal homes.  In a triumph for the emergency evacuation system, the 6.5-meter tsunami waves crashed onto the shore with little to no effect on the population.

Check back for updates from the USGS on the situation in Chile.

There have been many movies about time travel, from the latest Star Trek to Timecop, but all include fantastical elements; a watch that warps you and your perfect hairdo to the century, or a black hole that miraculously does not crush you beyond recognition. The core feature of Primer is the fact that there is no fantastical element, no attempt to wow the audience with theatrics. Primer presents a time travel film that focuses purely on the moral and mental ramifications of two men trying to perfect their present.

The first twenty minutes of the seventy-minute film do not even mention time travel; the two engineers fiddle with strange terms and the occasional perplexing voiceover presides over the scene. As a matter of fact, this is the only weak part of the film, as it is an exceptionally slow start to the story. But as the engineers discover an oddity in the contraption they have made, and accidentally discover that they can travel back to when they first turn on the machine. Though not as fancy as a time watch, the result is believability. There is no magic fix, only a slew of numbers and calculations made on screen.  And as a result, the film seems real.

Over halfway through the film, the two protagonists have only made their first time traveling trip together. However, it is in the last thirty minuets that the true genius of the film is revealed. The remainder of Primer is not a cohesive, linear film, but mere bits of what should be a chronological story. Though they are shown out of order and are often confusing, each clip teaches you something about the scheming of the engineers. You know that they wish to stop a shooter at a party and you know that the more they travel through time, the more copies of themselves begin to exist in one timeline, but the mystery remains: what is truly going on?

The majority of people will not enjoy this film. It is one to be seen, pondered, and seen again. I personally have seen Primer four times, and only after the fourth time did I look up the official timeline of the film (of which certain points are still debated).

Primer is a slow film with minimal action. But there is tension and mystery, mystery that never will be resolved. The dialogue isn’t dramatic or compelling, the shots aren’t brilliant and expertly made, and its greatest strength is the harsh realism that sacrifices theatrics for atmosphere. The film may be six years old, but its complexity continues to entrance its fans and, for those willing to take the chance, offers an opportunity for a good old-fashioned mystery.