The Mirada

VIDEO: Ms. Adolfson Leaves Rio

Austin Hicks — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:54:07 +0000

Government Pushes to Take Away Privacy

Austin Hicks — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:51:22 +0000

There are two bills working their way through Congress which would seriously restrict freedom on the internet.
The Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, and the PROTECT IP Act, or PIPA, are designed to curb piracy of coyprighted material on the internet.
While these bills may be well intentioned, they would infringe on our freedoms to an unprecedented extent.
The two bills would force internet service providers (ISP’s) to not link to websites which contained copyrighted material without the owner’s consent.
The government would also ban search engines such as Google and Yahoo! from linking to such websites.
Therefore, if someone uploaded a copyrighted song or last night’s ‘Real Housewives’ to Youtube, all of Youtube would be inaccessible to anybody until the video was taken down.
No wonder so many people are writing to their congressmen, many probably for the first time in their lives.
There are four reasons in particular why these bills should not become law.
First of all, they would stifle innovation on the internet.
Over the past twenty years, there has been an explosion of innovation because the internet has been from government regulation so far.
When the next Mark Zuckerberg comes to a venture capitalist seeking the money to start the next Facebook, the risk will be too high to invest.
Imagine how many websites would not exist if these bills had become law ten years ago.
In the middle of this economy, we simply can’t afford to stop the growth of the internet and kill jobs before they’re created.
The government should try and fix the economy, not stop it’s growth.
Second of all, there are serious concerns that these laws might violate the First Amendment to the Constitution, which declares that Americans have the right to both freedom of speech and of the press.
Both the Heritage Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union have said that the law imposes restrictions on freedom of speech.
After all, who is the government to tell Google who they could or could not link to?
Shouldn’t a search engine decide that for themselves?
Third of all, if these bills became law, they would hurt internet security.
People obviously still want to watch Youtube even if the government tells them that they can’t.
Prohibition, for example, didn’t stop people from drinking.
Banning marijuana didn’t stop people from smoking it.
In order to reach websites which the government has stopped anyone from linking to, people will inevitably use servers which are less safe in order to access the website.
Fourth and finally, this bill simply gives too much power to the government.
Are we really prepared to give the government the power to regulate the internet?
The internet may be the only place in America where one can speak their mind without any government interference.
There are no free speech zones or protest permits there.
Do we want to give our freedom to do what we want, when we want, on the internet to a government which America is rapidly loosing trust in?
How do we know that at some point, a future government won’t use this law as precedent to eat more of our freedoms?
If we give an inch, they’ll take a mile.
Of course copyright infringement on the internet is a problem, but the solution is not to pass bills which stifle innovation, kill future jobs, hurt the economy, violate the Constitution, hurt internet security, and take too many of our personal freedoms.
There has to be a better way.

Students Featured in Annual Calendar

Austin Hicks — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:47:28 +0000

The Sacramento River Cats release a calendar every year to expand and promote exposure to the arts. This Art of Baseball calendar is presented by Aaron Brothers. The calendar features drawings by elementary, middle, and high school students from around the greater Sacramento area. They accept submissions throughout fall of 2011 from any students who wish to have their creative talents showcased.
This year, three Rio students were featured in the calendar. Senior Katherine DuPont, junior Caroline Stauffer, and sophomore Kyle Lawson all submitted drawings and had their artwork accepted to be shown throughout the pages of the calendar.
The Sacramento River Cats, through grants from The River Cats Foundation, Inc., produce the calendar as part of their aim to promote and fund arts in the Sacramento community. Many of the these projects are displayed throughout Raley Field, including the stadium pillar tiles created by local students, as well as artwork from several local professional artists.
This year, the River Cats will celebrate local student artists with a special Art Day presented by Aaron Brothers at Raley Field on April 15, 2012, when the team plays the rival Reno Aces.
Lots of different Rio students have been featured in many of the past River Cats calendars. It’s a good opportunity for students with artistic talents to be recognized throughout the community for their great ability.

New Years’ Resoltions Bring New Challenges

Austin Hicks — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:41:10 +0000

Every new year starts with one question, “What is your new years resolution?” For some, a new year means new beginnings and many new fresh starts from the otherwise unsatisfactory year. The most common of new years resolutions is to have a better year than the last, which helps most people have a more positive new year.
Another more common resolution is to lose weight. New diets and work out schedules are made, which only a handful of people follow. Some people even choose the easier resolutions, such as: cutting down on cellphone usage, spending less time on Facebook, or even making more of an effort in the classroom.
“My new years resolution this year is to eat healthier and become more outgoing and mature,” said freshman Victoria Lizarraga. “Although I’m not sure how well I will follow it, I think on a scale of one to 10, It would probably be about a six. But I see myself following it because they’re things I’ve wanted to work on for a while.”
Some didn’t make resolutions at all this year, either because they don’t feel like it, or they have other reasons.
“I didn’t make a new years resolution this year,” said sophomore Tamsyn Heimbichner. “There was really nothing I felt that I needed to do or change. I just enjoy my life as is.” Others have bigger plans this year.
“My new years resolution is to enjoy high school life as much as I can, I think I’m doing well already,” freshman Anne Brown said. “Good grades, great friends, but still I feel like I haven’t done enough to make my high school experience memorable. So, I’m aiming for more.”
As the year goes on many minds will be changed, so of course its easier to make more than one resolution, and freshman Kayla Cook is doing just that.
“My new years resolution is to do better in school as well as making new friends during the school year and in the summer,” she said. “To do that I’ll just have to focus more in class, ask more questions and balance friends and schoolwork.”
But of course, how does changing one thing each year do more for you in the long-run? What if you make a resolution but never carry it out? Most people think that small changes can make for amazing results in their future. Others believe that if you do something big, you don’t have to do it again, or you get used to doing it.
“Everything in your life is a part of it altogether. Therefore, everything you do affects you as one whole, even if the change only lasts a month.” Heimbichner said. “And whatever you change about yourself at the beginning of the year should last as long as

Rocking Out On and Off the Slopes

Austin Hicks — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:39:00 +0000

Sophomore Gwendolyn Giles is more than an average high school student. As one of the members of the local duo Dog Party, composed of her and her sister, she’s experienced music in a way few other teenagers have.
“My younger sister Lucy and I started the band when I was in sixth grade and she was in fourth,” Giles said. “We both played instruments, and a family friend who owns a record label, Zach Goodin, told us one day that we should try playing together.” The girls are now signed to Goodin’s label, Half of Nothing Records.
Giles first started playing guitar in fourth grade after experimenting with other instruments.
“I used to play flute, but didn’t like it much, especially because I had braces,” she said. “Guitar seemed like the best choice.” Her sister Lucy, who plays drums in the band, began learning soon after.
“We really like bands like the Ramones, the White Stripes, and X right now,” Giles said. “My sister has a full-sized Ramones poster in her room.”
The girls have accomplished a lot in their four years as a band. They just released their vinyl record, P.A.R.T.Y., on Dec. 30. They also have a self-titled EP that came out two years ago. Their original songs are on subjects many teenagers can relate to – “School, parents, and the feelings that come with growing up,” Giles said.
One of Giles’ favorite experiences in the band was over the summer.
“We toured in the Southwest, through Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico, playing house parties and clubs,” she said. They’ve done shows at many other venues as well, including Old Ironsides, the Crest Theatre, Luigi’s pizzeria, and Concert in the Park downtown.
“Music will always be a big part of my life,” Giles said, even though she’s not sure yet about what she wants to do after high school. The girls practice at their house daily.
When asked about what’s coming up for the band, Giles said, “We were invited to do a Euro tour this summer.” It would be her first time in Europe, and the trip would last about a month depending on whom they toured with.
“A family friend is also on the show ‘Finding Bigfoot’ on the Discovery Channel, and he wants to get Dog Party on the show,” Giles said. “That would be really exciting for us too.”
However, Dog Party is not Giles’ only pastime she’s dedicated to – she and her sister are also members of the Squaw Valley ski team.
“My mom owns a ski shop, so skiing has always been a big part of our family,” she said. “I’ve been racing for eight years so far.” This is her third year on the team at Squaw, and based on her age, she’s at the J-2 level.
“I first learned to ski on Dollar Mountain in Idaho,” she said. “My grandparents live there half the year.” She was on the Sugar Bowl ski team as well before switching to Squaw.
Many of Giles’ weekends are spent skiing, usually for training. She and her sister attend competitions as well.
“Last year, I participated in Junior Olympic qualifiers, and my sister will this year,” she said. “The top five in the qualifiers get automatic placement at the Junior Olympics on the US ski team.” She didn’t qualify herself, but she has friends who have been on the team.
“It’s a cool feeling to be able to say you know someone on the US ski team,” Giles said.
Giles also had the opportunity this semester to attend Forest Charter School in Tahoe, a school that is mainly ski team based.
“If I went to the school, I would train on weekdays and come back to Sacramento on weekends, instead of having just the weekends to train,” she said. “Ski team would also count as my PE class.” However, her family decided it would be better for her to stay at Rio and pursue her studies further.
With everything going on in her life, Giles has to be capable of managing school as well.
“I have to be really on top of my schedule all the time,” she said. “Usually I won’t be able to start my homework until after band practice.” She tries to make sure band gigs don’t interfere with school, and because of this, they don’t have any shows planned in the near future.
However, managing school doesn’t seem to be too much of a problem – Giles is also a very good student, with a 4.0 GPA her entire freshman year.
“It’s sort of hard to handle school, the band, and ski team sometimes,” she said. “But I love everything I do and definitely plan on keeping with it.” With that sort of attitude, she’s bound to go far in whatever she pursues.

January Issue

Brad Conidaris — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:45:29 +0000

Open publication – Free publishing – More newpaper

Tanya Bringuel; New Vice Principal at Rio

Brad Conidaris — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:31:03 +0000

Information and interview to be posted soon!

In dance unit, frosh get the swing of it

Brad Conidaris — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:41:16 +0000

Dance unit in P.E. makes most freshmen cringe. That is until they get in the swing of it. Or the Pata Pata of it. Or the tinkling of it.
The dance unit required coordination, cooperation and courage–or at least enthusiasm to perform a routine in front of 40 classmates and a teacher who recorded the performance on an iPad. The final had a multicultural focus as group four to 10 students presented dances from around the word that they had worked on over winter break.
Kavon Jonoubei’s group did tinikling, a dance from the Philippines that consists two dancers hitting two bamboo poles to the beat of their music. The rest of the group jumps in and out of the moving poles.
“The dance was fun for sure, we had a lot of fun.” Jonoubei said.
Several of these dances are cultural. The tinikling dance originated in the Philippines and includes two dancers hitting bamboo poles on the ground. Chinese ribbon dancing was another one of these cultural dancing, and it consists of a group of dancers waving red ribbons around simultaneously with their dance partners.
Swing was another one of these dances and it was originated in the 50s, here in the states. The dance consists of two partners dancing to jazz music, twisting in and out between each others arms.
“At first it was awkward, but then it got more fun, because we started to get to know the dance, freshman Rachael Kaulen said.
Most people who hated the dances did the simple ones, like the Loraspa. It’s a dance that originated in Mexico and it has a group of people in a circle shuffling their feet and swinging

Women’s basketball slams competition

Brad Conidaris — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:40:34 +0000

Off to an undefeated start in league, the Lady Raiders are going into this Friday’s game against rivals El Camino with three wins under their belts.
With a difficult schedule in preseason, the team managed to fight through many tough games in order to keep a good record.
“Preseason has definitely been tough for us, but I think we handled it very well,” co-captain Elizabeth Moulton said. “I’m very happy with our playing.”
Each player on the team has improved during the preseason and everyone is now focusing on league, where there’s no time to fool around. League is the real deal.
The girls won their first league game against Rancho Cordova 41-29.
After an exciting last week with two wins against Whitney and Mira Loma, the girls are practicing hard for Friday’s big game. After a defeat the previous season, the girls beat EC in a tough fight over the summer.
“We want to make a good game, we want to hang with them and play smart,” Moulton said.

VARSITY MEN Dominate the Court

Brad Conidaris — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:40:00 +0000

After a rocky start in non-conference games, the varsity men’s basketball team heads into their fifth league game against El Camino. The team is playing strong and they have their sights set on the playoffs.
“We are just coming together and playing like a team” power forward Peter Margaris said. “Everyone knows their place and the offense is finally flowing.”
While Jude Aka has missed several games, Peter Margaris and Mason Pigman have stepped up giving a much needed inside presence.
We lost a lot of games that we should have won” senior forward Basil Okoroike said. “We weren’t playing to our full potential.”
With a few wins under their belt the team is confident and hopes to put the tough losses from non-conference games behind them.
“We struggled a bit earlier in the season but we now understand the plays and defensive rotations,” Margaris said. “ We keep improving every game”
The team is finding their identity as they look to use their massive amounts of athleticism to overcome their lack of size.
“I think we can beat anyone if we use our speed” said Jake Jensen “We can’t let other teams get comfortable when playing us”

In their win against Whitney the team came together to beat a skilled squad and a team with an impressive record of 13-4. The win showed the raiders were ready to be taken serious.
“Yeah the win against Whitney was huge and it really united us,” said Harrison Ashen “the pieces are starting to fall in place”
The team hoped that their new found harmony would elevate their game.
The team then went on to defeat Mira Loma in a promising victory with a final score of 66-46.
“We were hitting on all cylinders” Jensen said. “We cant wait to play El Camino”
After a home game against Antelope, the team is back on the road against rival El Camino at El Camino on Tuesday January 31.
They are looking for some crowd support from the Rowdy Raiders in hope to beat the Eagles.
“It’s a lot easier playing with the Rowdy Raiders cheering us on” said Margarines “it’s like having another player on the court”