Alexis Hanselman/Maverick MessengerThe Maverick Messenger newspaper and broadcast journalism class pose in their classroom.

Thanks for visiting the Maverick Messenger’s brand new website. We hope you enjoy your visit to our site. For questions/comments/concerns or if you have a story idea, letter to the editor or want to submit a comic or guest story, visit Ms. Schultz in room 326 or email us at atech.maverick.messenger@gmail.com

By Michael MacDougall
Staff Writter

On March 1, 2010, disaster struck PS3 owners across the planet. Suddenly, they were unable to play some of their games. What happened and why? How did Sony miss something this large, and not stop it before it started? What will PS3 owners do now that they can’t play their beloved games? The answers to these questions, and more, can be found on Sony’s press release, which was publicized just hours after the initial outbreak.

The first question everyone asks is “What happened?” Well, every first generation Playstation 3 had a corrupted code that made their consoles unable to play games enabled with the trophy system. Older games such as Medal Gear Solid 4 or Rachet and Clank: Future: Tools of Destruction worked fine. But newer games, suck as Rock Band: Beatles, would not initialize. People got this problem just by booting up their console. No one with the older model PS3 was unaffected, not even people who were not connected to the Internet. People with the newer, slim model PS3, however, escaped unharmed.

The next thing people ask is “How did it happen?” Well, it happened when Sony mislabeled 2010 as a leap year. So, on the console’s internal clocks, March 1 was supposed to be February 29. With those date discrepancies, the anti-cheating software kicked in. Basically, the consoles thought the users were cheating for their trophies by changing the date, and made it so the users couldn’t get any trophies the easiest way possible — make those games unplayable for everyone. For whatever reason, the new slim models did not have the corrupted code.

The final question is “What is Sony doing about it?” They released a patch that should have fixed every problem almost instantly, however some older model PS3 with Internet connection didn’t start working again for a few more days. Sony has also released, for free, clothing for the PS3 Home’s avatar characters that relate to what is being referred to as “The Meltdown.”

Well, even with disaster averted, what other problems will arise? If Sony lets something as simple as mislabeled date get through the cracks, what will happen next? Is the future of the PS3’s reliability in jeopardy? Only time will tell.

Xbox has also experienced the ring of death for several of their systems. However, they are quickly repared and sent back to the customer.

This tragedy to all game lovers and addicts poses a destruction to life as they know it. To many, video games are their best friend. Melt downs and rings of death are only the beginning for their world falling apart.

Don’t worry too much, though, Sony and Microsoft always take care of their customers. The wait to get back into the game may take a while but your system will be good as new.

By Vanida Visessung
Staff Writer

Weiming Wu, 09

“I would crush all the resistance and then have minions build statues of me.”

Charles Nguyen, 10

“I would enact a law where everyone could talk in animal sounds, especially turtle.”

Hannah Stover, 11

“I would want all the bratwurst in the world.”

Kenyon Anderson, 12

“I would give it up. Supreme rulers always seem to get the ax sooner or later.”

www.outdoors.webshots.com Tilikum, the 29-year-old killer whale, killed its SeaWorld trainer while they were preparing for a show.

By Tyler Livingston
Editor-In-Chief

SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida is known for its wide variety of oceanic animals, especially its famous killer whales such as the iconic Shamu.

An experienced whale trainer at the theme park was killed by one of these killer whales in late February during a routine show at SeaWorld called “Dine with Shamu,” which proved to be an unfortunately coincidental name for Dawn Brancheau, the 40-year-old trainer.

Tilikum weighs 12,000 pounds and is the world’s largest whale in captivity. He is the killer whale responsible for the death of Brancheau. The whale thrashed Brancheau around violently while swimming quickly around the Shamu Stadium pool.

It is unusual for a whale to act this way, leaving Wayne Perryman, a marine biologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), stunned, stating, “I don’t think there’s ever been a report of a killer whale attacking a human,” in an interview with National Geographic. Later in the interview, Perryman recalls in incident in which a killer whale swimming up from a sheet of ice in Antarctica bumped into a group of photographers, but there was no violence. The whale simply backed up and swam away from the people.

Killer whales in the wild are known to break their pray apart by shaking it before consumption, but experts do not believe this was what Tilikum was attempting to do to his trainer. Even though it is assumed that the whale did not intend to kill Brancheau, some believe this is to be expected on occasion when dealing with large animals that are held captive in smaller-than-natural environments.

This particular whale, however, was involved in two previous deaths during the last twenty years, contradicting Perryman’s statements. In 1991, Tilikum and two other killer whales drowned a trainer at Sealand of the Pacific, located in British Columbia, Canada. That park was shut down to the public shortly after. Again in 1999, a dead man was found in SeaWorld Orlando after Tilikum was transferred there from Canada. It was concluded that the whale drowned this man, too.

After this latest incident, Tilikum was placed in a holding cell inside the theme park. The fate of the killer whale is still unknown.

Kristiana Trinidad

Advertising Editor

On Saturday, January 30, A-TECH’s Science Bowl team placed seventh of thirty-two teams in a regional tournament. The tournament included teams from Nevada, southern Utah, Arizona, and California.  Taking seventh place earned them  a total of three hundred dollars. It took place in the UNLV campus.

All teams had four team members compete with one substitute, switching members after every round of competition against antohter school. The A-TECH team consisted of captain Siddarth Raich, Mike Tully, Anna Kiyantseva, Ryley Hill, and William Lo.

Beating out top contenders from the Meadows School and Reno’s Coral Academy, they were defeated by Palo Verde High School Science Bowl, which later took first place. Palo Verde will be competing in a national competition at Washington D.C.

“It was a double elimination tournament,” said co-advisor and A-TECH teacher Mr. Johnson. “We won our first match then lost our second. Then, we won the next four in the consolation brackets, where we beat the Meadows and Reno schools. We were finally beaten by Palo Verde.”

To prepare for the competition, which takes place only once a year, the team met with their two advisors, Mr. Johnson and Ms. Colledge, every Monday and Thursday in room 403, Ms. Colledges room.  They practiced by reviewing sample questions and teaching members concepts vital to the competition.

“It’s not a good as when we competed did two years ago,” said Mr. Johnson. “We took second place, but seventh place still gives money for the members to accumulate for their scholarships.”

“I’m really proud of them,” said Ms. Colledge, co-advisor of the Science Bowl team and A-TECH teacher, who couldn’t make the competition because of matters pertaining to Student Council. “They did a fantastic job with all the other teams they had to go against.”

Ashley Morris

News Editor

Recently, A-TECH’s notorious physics teacher Mr. Johnson, was declared a finalist for the 2009 Teacher’s Siemens award.

The  2009  grand  prize  winners rang the bell of the New York Stock Exchange  on  January  28  at  4:00 p.m. EST.

The Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement are awarded each year to students who scored the most 5’s on eight AP math and science exams. It is awarded to teachers based on the rate of passing on AP mathematics, AP science, or AP technology tests.

Only one teacher is selected from each state. Mr. Johnson was one of only 50 teachers to be selected nationwide and the only teacher selected in the state of Nevada.

“Mr. Burt asked me if I would compete,” commented Mr. Johnson. “I generally don’t do those competitions. They don’t change the way I teach.”

“The school gets $1000 to spend on science. I should apply more often. I’ve never won any other awards and I don’t apply for them. I use the results of post-tests to determine my success. Some of my students out-perform college students,” he added.

Mr. Johnson’s unique teaching style, known as “guided inquiry,” has been shown to be effective in teaching physics. Using this method, students are required to ask questions and truly explore the physical world as a part of their participation grade.

“It puts students in the position to discover physics themselves rather than looking it up in a book,” Mr. Johnson said “All they learn comes from their hand, and their discussion. Whiteboarding is the most important part of the class. It is more important than the technology we use. Students must discuss the physics to figure it out.”

Based on the result of post-tests, Mr. Johnson’s AP Physics test has beaten even Harvard’s test scores.

Where as Harvard students scored an average of eighty percent on post-tests administered, A-TECH’s AP Physics class scored an average of about ninety percent. A-TECH Physics Honors students scored around seventy percent, and applied Physics classes scored around fifty percent.

“Mr. Johnson enduses self-realization. Your light bulb must go off by yourself,” said junior Physics Honors student, Jehoushua Jeose. “He deserved to win the award. What you learn there sticks with you. I hate it at the same time, but it helps you learn.”

Sophomore Robotics student Caleb Schmucker’s opinion of Mr. Johnson is not much different. “I actually learn stuff in his class,” he said. “Every question leads to more questions, which lead to more questions, which lead to your answer, but not his.”

“He definitely deserved the award,” he says. “He is an awesome teacher.”

Photos and Article by Brianna Vargas/Maverick Messenger

From top to bottom, left to right: Margarita Herrera, 12; Ana Ponce, 12 and Mirna Adrian, 12 rallied for Rahn-De-Voo lemonade.

Jovito Basco, 12, mascot for the Juice advertised for the boys during both lunches and throughout the school day.

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Thursday, February 25, the Business and Finance seniors held their annual Lemonade Challenge. In charge of the entire competition was Mrs. Stidium, business teacher.

Every year, Mrs. Stidium hosts the lemonade challenge to raise money for the March of Dimes foundation. Although the all the profit goes to charity, the lemonade challenge is about giving students the experience of entrepreneurship.

Second semester is when I kick off the entrepreneurship part of the course,” said Mrs. Stidium. “I focus on application and the basics of running a business.”

The challenge is based off of Donald Trump’s show the Apprentice. All business students are split into groups. Each group must come up with a theme for their lemonade, flavors, funds, tickets, and stands. Each of the groups received money to put on their competition from sponsors such as their parents and stores like Lowe’s, Fresh and Easy, Best Buy, and Target.

Previously in past years, their have been several different groups. However, this year has been the first year that the students can evenly be divided in boys against girls.  This years teams were Rahn-De-Voo (girls) and The Juice (boys). They  also had several unique flavors. Girls had old fashioned lemonade, strawberry lemonade, and Ttropical lemonade. The boys had grape, old fashioned lemonade, strawberry lemonade, pink lemonade, and mango lemonade.
Carmen Puentes, the team leader of Rahn-De-Voo, comments on the process of preparing for the challenge. “The challenge was so stressful because we didn’t want the boys to steal any of our ideas.”

The theme for each group was completely unique to the challenge. “[Rahn-De-Voo] is a cool place to be,” said team member Ana Ponce. “At first we wanted rendezvous, but it was too long so we split it up.”

The boys on the other hand had a more summer feel to their take on the competition. “Our theme was a party on the beach,” said team leader David Gloria. “We didn’t really have any specific ideas we just improved.”

The challenge was fierce as members from each team went around the cafeteria trying to bring in more customers. One of the vocal team members was Antonio Ramos from The Juice. Ramos traveled around the cafeteria going from table to table offering a discount and raffle to any customer that traded in a girls ticket for a boys ticket. Still, he doesn’t take the competition too seriously.

“I’m just trying to have a good time,” Ramos said. “This is all about having fun. Its not really a competition.”

Some customers were even rallying against each other for the different companies. Many of Rahn-De-Voo’s fans proposed the girls had the competition in their hands.

“The girls are much louder and they seem like a lot more fun,” said senior Kayla Valy.

“I think the girls will win,” said freshman Sylvia Sosa. “They’re more organized and into the whole challenge.”

Others rallied over the speaker for the boys claiming the girls lemonade was too “watered down” and that The Juice was the place to be.

Once the competition was closed, all the funds were counted and the winner was announced. Rahn-De-Voo was declared the all-time winner sweeping the boys $900 to $700. This year, both groups together also made more money than any previous year.

Sean Diggins
Staff Writer

The 82nd, 2009, Oscars awards will be shown on ABC March 7, 2010, hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. The nominees were anounced February 2 with Avatar and The Hurt Locker receiving 9 nominations, but I still don’t expect it to be a sweep by either of them.

The Nominees for Best Picture are: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, A Serious Man, Up, and Up in the Air.

The Hurt Locker is genuinely the best film of the year and on top of that it is direct by James Cameron’s ex-wife. This could either hurt or help her, but I believe the voters will be ready for a change from Cameron being seen as the king of film. And, really, the only other competition for best picture would be Up in the Air, considering Avatar wasn’t a movie; it was a ride. What puts The Hurt Locker above Up in the Air is its realistic portrayal of the Military, not Hollywood’s Generic message of the military being a terrible institution.

The Nominees for Best Actor are: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Morgan Freeman (Invictus), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), and George Clooney (Up in the Air).

Best Actor is really just a two-man race between Jeff Bridges and George Clooney. These awards are just as political as they are about who actually did a performed better. So, Seeing as Jeff Bridges has been nominated 4 times but never won and George Clooney has won once before for Syriana, I predict Jeff Bridges to win for his performance in Crazy Heart.

The Nominees for Best Supporting Actor are: Matt Damon (Invictus), Woody Harrelson (The Messenger), Christopher Plummer (The Last Station), Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones), and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds).

Christoph Waltz was able to play a serious character in a very comedic movie. This presents quite a challenge and he pulls it off seamlessly.

The Nominees for Best Actress are: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), Helen Mirren (The Last Station), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire), and Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)

Gabourey Sidibe Is going to win this one because this is her first nomination and she puts on the performance of an abused pregnant teenager in movie about addiction and self strength. There really is no competition for this award when an actress plays a role of such confliction.

The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are: Penélope Cruz (Nine), Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart), Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air), Mo’Nique (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)

Again this is the first nomination for Monique and she plays a very corrupted and misunderstood character. Therefore, she really has no competition for this award.

The nominees for Best Director are: James Cameron (Avatar), Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds), Lee Daniels (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire), and Jason Reitman (Up in the Air).

All of the directing aspects of Avatar were top notch whether or not the actual movie was very good. James Cameron spent 15 years working on this film and all of the photography and character placement in every scene is great, therefore James Cameron will win this one.

Madame Elizabeth
Resident Astrologist

Aquarius: January 21-
February 19
Guess what? It’s your birthday! Happy birthday! But don’t get to happy yet, your future looks glum. Prepare for stormy circumstances. Your birthday won’t be all sunshine and daisies this year. Remember to always look both ways before crossing the street and don’t let black cats cross your path. You don’t want to attract any more bad luck on your “happy” day.

Pisces: February 20-
March 20
Really, when was the last time you saw the sun? Yes, I know you’re busy playing Modern Warfare 2, but leaving the Xbox 360 alone to rest for a couple of hours to socialize with some real physical people won’t kill you. There’s a world outside your four bedroom walls. People actually have conversations about real things, not where the next battle is taking palce. You only live once. It’s time to get a life.

Aries: March 21-April 20
February is your month! Everything is going right for you! Your love life is sparkling, your grades are skyrocketing and your family is actually on your side for once! Oh, and all those messy problems you’ve been trying to deal with for the past couple months now are quickly disapating. Take a deep breath and live. Take advantage of these circumstances because they might not last long, and be sure to treasure every moment. Tomorrow is always full of suprises.

Taurus: April 21-May 21
Wow, talk about a Chatty Cathy. This month is all about friends, you just can’t seem to make time for anything else. Have you noticed your 61 percent in one of your classes yet? Or how about your growing phone bill your parents are just about to unveil? Chill out on socialization and focus on your schoolwork unless you want to be the oldest person in history to graduate from A-TECH.

Gemini: May 22-June 21
You care too much about other people, but you have to remember that not everybody is as nice and caring as you are. Actually most people wouldn’t even help an old lady cross the street. People are taking advantage of you and you need to take a stand! Don’t let poeple walk all over you. Remember, right now, you’re your first priority and those that can hang on to the ladder your climbing will be at the top when you arrive. Learn to say, “No!” and your life will improve exponentially.

Cancer: June 22-July 22
Looks like love is in the air and that special someone feels exactly the same way about you. Yeah, you know that cute little face they make at you? That, my friend, is flirting. Believe it or not, so take some initiative already! Don’t be afraid to tell them how you feel because the way your luck is going, they’ll tell you exactly what you want to hear. Also, prepare yourself to be bombarded with Valentine’s Day gifts, grams, and cards. This will be a holiday to mark down in history in the calender of your life. February will bring the best memories of your high school career.

Leo: July 23-August 22
Holy cow! Your temper is exploding this month and you need to manage your anger just a little better unless you really want to lose some friends this month. Friends are a dime a dozen. The best friends are the ones that will stick with you through thick and thin but, the way you’re going, you won’t get the hint until late in the month. Who knows—maybe you’ll have a chance to salvage what you’ve lost due to your temper.

Virgo: August 23-
September 21
You’re feeling artsy and creative this month and don’t let this phase pass without producing some meaningful works of art. Write a story, paint a picture, or take some interesting photos. Your works of art will be received with awe and praise, so take advantage and let your artsy side out. You don’t even have to complete your art by yourself. Try finding a friend who feels as creative as you. It could be a group project that gives you a release on your stressful life.

Libra: September 22-
October 22
You know that thing you always wanted to do, but were too scared to try? February is your month for adventure! Ever wanted to sky dive? Do it! How about taking up dance classes? Do that too! Time to step out of your boring routine and do what you really want. Don’t sit back and watch every one around you doing things you can only imagine trying in your dreams. It’s your month to shine and don’t let anyone steal your spotlight. Your have a chance to reach to new heights that maybe no one has been able to accomplish. And maybe it’s not a physical activity, but go for it.

Scorpio: October 23-
November 21
You need some sleep. You’ve been getting sick a lot lately, but all you’ve been wanting to do is get out of the house and satisfy your need for adventure. I’m afraid that won’t be best for your health. Stay in bed and drink some tea. You can have an adventure right in your home, you just need to get creative. Maybe while your sitting at home healing you should consider changing your diet. Those bad food choices are only making your immune system weaker and you may never be able to get that dream adventure. If you really want your adventure book filled, take care of yourself.

Sagittarius: November 22-December 21
Money, money, money is the only thing on your mind this month. You’ve got a really good business plan you want to put into action, but it’ll take some hard work. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. All your hard work will pay off and you’ll be rolling in cash. Then maybe you can afford to take out your Valentine to a real dinner instead of the cheap McDonald’s dinner.

Capricorn: December 22-January 20
Everybody is rooting for you this month! Whatever it is you want to do, your friends are behind you 100 percent, and so is your family. Maybe it’s your dream to be on TV. Don’t be afraid because of your lack of experience. Everyone has to start some where. You’re sure to succeed with so many people backing you up. Forget about fear and go for your goals!

Dear Dr. Hiz and Her,

My boyfriend and I have been dating for two months. I feel as if he might be getting too clingy. He needs to talk to me 24/7, tells me that I’m the only girl he ever wants to be with, and anytime I tell him I am slightly unhappy he gets upset and clings to me even more. I can’t take on the responsibility of being someone’s “everything.” I also don’t want to tear his heart to shreds. What do I do?

Sincerely, Unclingy Girlfriend

Dear Unclingy,

If you feel as if you need space from your boyfriend, just tell him that. Just say that you need time for yourself. There is nothing wrong with being completely honest. He needs to know that you’re not into the whole clingy thing. If you don’t tell him, things are just going to get worse and worse until the point where you will have no other choice but to break up with him.

Sincerely, Dr. Her

Dear Unclingy,

You are obviously an unappreciative girlfriend. Do you realize that tons of people wish they had a boyfriend or girlfriend who cares about them enough to want to talk to them all the time and truly want to be with them forever? Apparently you do not realize that. This guy should wise up and dump you. He’ll wake up and see this someday—soon, hopefully, because he’ll be sick of your constant unhappiness—and you’ll be left wishing you had appreciated him while you had the chance.

Sincerely, Dr. Hiz

Dear Dr. Hiz and Her,

I get so much homework every night. Even on weekends. I know I go to a hard school so this is expected, but my friends always go places together and I can never go because of my ever-growing amount of work. I have to tell them I can’t go every time they invite me out. I’m starting to feel bad about it. I’m worried that they’ll think I’m blowing them off because I don’t like them, even though that’s not the reason at all. I really do want to spend time with them. How do I find balance between school and friends in order to breathe life back into my social life?

Sincerely, Socially Deprived

Dear Deprived,

It’s good to know that you’re working hard on your schoolwork, but you need a break. You should set aside at least one day per week to spend with your friends. Do anything you have to for that one day of social freedom, even if it means doubling up on school work one of the days of the week. As for your friends thinking that you blowing them off, just tell them that your working on school work. If they are your true friends they will understand that your school comes before going out with them. If you want to complete your schoolwork and be with your friends at the same time, why not start a study club? It’s a good way to study and do work while also socializing with your friends.
Sincerely, Dr. Her

Dear Lame,

Schoolwork? You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re a kid! A young adult! This is your time to have fun! School doesn’t matter. You go to a hard school…so? Tons of people go to hard schools. You’re nothing special. You should stop doing homework altogether, I think. Fail your classes if you must. No one cares to be completely honest. Hang out with your friends more and do what you want. This is probably better for you because you won’t be stressed about work. Live in the now and don’t be this lame. Seriously. It’s depressing to even read about your current life.

Sincerely, Dr. Hiz