Middle School Newsletter

A New Species Discovered in South

Africa

The Falcon Times

Rebecca Thau, Staff Writer

Grade 6

ON THURSDAY, April 8, scientists announced that a new species had been discovered. In

2007, Matthew Berger chased after his dog, Tau, only to find an incredible archaeological

discovery. The fossil that Matthew held up for his father, Lee R. Berger, an American

paleoanthropologist (a person who works in a branch of anthropology concerned with fossil

hominids), was around 4 feet, 2 inches tall and a little older than Matthew himself, who at

the time was nine years old.

The boy and the other fossils found of the same species are an unexpected mixture of

primitive and more modern anatomy. They qualified as a new species of humanoid ancestors

and close relation to humans. The species has been named Australopithecus sediba.

Sediba, which means fountain or wellspring in Sotho, walked straight with long legs, human

hips, and a human pelvis. However, they did climb trees with arms much like an ape’s.

Sediba also had relatively primitive feet. The face was similar to that of Homo, however, a

genus that includes the modern human.

These people have been estimated to have lived around 1.78 million years ago to 1.95

million years ago by geologists. It is believed that they lived closer to the later date, when

mixes of ape and human characteristics were predominate, along with Homo themselves.

Dr. Berger and his team said that this new species probably came from the Australopithecus

africanus, an early humanoid who lived 2 to 3 million years ago. Dr. Berger also said that the

species could possibly be an ancestor of Homo erectus, a species that came right before

Homo sapiens, but did not lead to modern humans.

Scientists who are not involved with the investigation of the sediba are discussing whether

the bones belong to the Homo or the Australopithecus genus. However, most of them agree

that the discoveries of these fossils are a great advancement in the early fossil history of

humanoids.

The cranium of Malapa Hominid 1,

Holotype of Australopithecus sediba from

South Africa.

Photo: Brett Eloff, courtesy Lee Berger

and the University of the Witwatersrand

V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3 J U N E 2 0 1 0 I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

No Text Challenge 2 MS Musical: Annie 3 Clash of the Titans 4

You Don’t Know Me 5

Acinetobacter Baumannii 6

Sudoku 7

No Text Challenge: A Journal

Rebecca Thau, Staff Writer

Grade 6

Sunday, April 25, 2010

So far, so good. However, that does not seem to be so hard at this point because I woke up around 11:30 a.m.,

and it is now around noon. My phone is out of battery (which I did on purpose because I thought that it would make it

easier to not text), and it is charging now––no temptations there. Nevertheless, I am very tempted to click on my

bookmark for Facebook on Safari, which I must admit is one of my favorite things to do.

I have realized so far that not everything has to be electronic. It may sound funny to say that I have learned

something from not even an hour of no texting, iChatting, Facebooking, or videochatting. For most people not in this

generation, this might seem like an easy task (especially my parents who barely know how to text, don’t have an iChat and

don’t have a Facebook), but for me and my friends, I am beginning to see how this is going to become a big problem.

Later: I just got back from rehearsal and got my math homework done. I think that if I had been texting and

iChatting I might still be working on it, even though I had almost finished it earlier.

After rehearsal ended, I called my parents to tell them that it was over, and I told them that Emma Brick was

taking the Miles car home with me. Even though it seems like it is something harder to do, it was a little better, I suppose,

because I could really listen to what my parents had to say.

I must admit that I was tempted to text, to click on the iChat icon on my dock, and to post on Facebook that

everything was going all right with the no electronic communications. But I didn’t; I am still keeping everything as

personal as I can by talking on the phone and emailing. It does feel a little old-fashioned, but I guess that was also a part

of this experiment.

Of course when I see my brother texting I am going to feel tempted. Of course I am feeling tempted right now.

But I guess the fact that I am not doing all of these things (which makes me feel pretty good) is something to be proud

of.

Monday, April 26, 2010

School and rehearsal are over. I still have not texted (I didn’t even reply this morning when someone texted me)

or IMed or posted on Facebook. This is becoming increasingly difficult as time goes on. It really is much more

convenient to text someone; not to mention people don’t really answer phone calls anymore.

Reflection

Texting has become the normal thing to do. It is a whole lot easier to do than calling. It is not even because one

doesn’t want to speak to someone on one side of a phone conversation; it is more than that. Just picking up a phone and

typing really does take less time than dialing a number (yes, even contacts or speed dials), but it can be very impersonal as

well.

I found myself subconsciously playing with the keys on my phone. It is true: texting is a great pastime. But it also

wastes time. I finished my work much faster without texting and IMing.

Have I been totally changed and will I never to text again? No, that is most certainly not going to happen. But

now I know that I don’t have to rely on those things. I can go out and do other things I love instead.

The Smash Middle School

Musical: Annie

As Alex Oshea, playing the role of Annie in the

Middle School Musical Annie, takes her bow, the

entire audience stands up and roars in approval.

Annie is a musical about a little redheaded orphan in

the 1930s who finds herself in the 5th Avenue

mansion of Oliver Warbucks (played by Max

Wellington).

Although Annie had many fabulous lead characters

like Eva Moskoowitz, who played the role of Grace,

it was the abundance of small parts, such as Ian

Blow as Annie’s trusty stray dog, Sandy, and Anabel

Getz as Mrs. Greer (a servant at Warbuck’s

Mansion) that really held the show together.

The Annie production by the Middle School has

been said to be one of the best musicals that Ms.

Eastman has done, and countless people have said

so, including Joe, the beloved pianist who could not

musically direct the show this year.

With a heartwarming plot and an all-star cast, Annie

was a huge success and a perfect representation of

Ms. Eastman, Head of the Drama Department.

MOVIE BLURB

Clash of the Titans

John Cicco, Staff Writer

Grade 6

I went to this movie alone. I had a choice between this and How to Train Your

Dragon. As I was deciding, I realized something: I don’t own a dragon. What I

mean is: Why do I need to learn how to train my dragon if I don’t even have one?

So I went to Clash of the Titans. At first, I was alone in the theater with nobody but

my slushy and myself. It was kind of creepy when the new Nightmare on Elm Street

trailer came on, but I have nerves of steel. I took pictures with my phone and ran

around until people came and wrecked all the fun. Then the movie started.

Clash of the Titans is about the Greek gods. I have seen so much of them that I’m

starting to believe in them, although any group that Liam Neeson [Zeus] is the

leader of is a group I definitively want to believe in. His voice is like music…if

only he did audio books or GPS voiceovers! Anyway, the gods treat the mortals

badly, and they get rebellious. When the mortals get rebellious, the gods feel like

releasing the Kraken on them. A demigod named Perseus [Sam Worthington]

(whose family was killed by the gods) and a small army go out to find a way to kill

and ultimately destroy the Kraken. This is a solid premise. Simple? Incredibly, but

it reminded me of a time when I didn’t care about simplicity or predictability in

movies. If I were younger I definitively would have loved it. I don’t mean it in the

way people say, “I would have loved The Spy Next Door if I was five years

younger.” I mean it in the most sincere way I can muster.

This movie really reminded me of many movies I saw when I was younger, and

for that reason I liked it. But seeing that I am not six years old anymore, I have

some problems with it. It was very, very predictable. Pick every single cliché you

can think of, and this movie used it. Like I said before, it was also very, very

simple. I was kind of annoyed how Hades sounded like a chain smoker while

Liam Neeson sounded beautiful. It was a huge and annoying contrast. Speaking of

Liam, I felt like the whole movie was just building up to that awesome line,

“Release the Kraken!” There was some talk about “unleashing” the Kraken, there

was even some about keeping the Kraken in, but we all know, it must be released.

The dialogue was a bit on the weak side, but what did you expect? The action and

CGI is cool and if you like giant monster battles, you will love this movie. If

you’re one of those intellectual people, you should stay away from this one. But

you’re probably too busy seeing Hot Tub Time Machine anyways. Two stars out of

four.

BOOK BLURB

You Don’t Know Me by David Klass

Jordan Knitzer, Staff Writer

Grade 6

You Don’t Know Me is about a young boy who simply feels that you have no

clue about him. He thinks this because he has so many problems that you

cannot understand what he is being put through. In other words, you have

to walk a mile in another person’s shoes. Although it can get confusing,

you start to get a basic understanding of his life.

His name is actually Max. No, his name is Jason. He says, “You don’t

know me. Just for example, you think I’m upstairs in my room doing my

homework. Wrong. I’m not in my room. I’m not doing my homework.

And even if I were up there in my room I wouldn’t be doing my

homework, so you’d still be wrong….Her name’s not Mrs. Moonface, by

the way. It’s really Mrs. Garlic Breath…Confused? Deal with it…You

don’t know where I’m writing this from…And the only thing that stays

constant is my brown eyes. Watching you.”

His legitimate name is John. His father has left him, and he has been

replaced by a new man, who has lost his wife as well. This new father is

abusing John all of the time, for no specific reason. The mother has no

idea that this is happening.

Meanwhile, in John’s love life, Gloria Hallelujah is the one he wants to

take to the dance. Struggling at home, in school, with girls, and his “dead

frog” (John’s tuba), John manages to move on, barely. He feels that no

one knows or cares at all about him. His worries are mentioned in almost

every chapter. Even when the exact things he worries about don’t happen,

other bad things eventually happen to him. “If my tuba can be a giant frog

masquerading as a musical instrument, then it is possible that the girl of

my dreams is actually not a girl at all but a hungry goat.”

Will his identity be revealed? Will his father keep abusing him? What will

happen with Gloria Hallelujah? Will John survive? To find out, read this

confusing, yet mysterious novel and find out what happens to John.

Acinetobacter Baumannii Olivia Corn, Staff Writer

Grade 7

A minor-league pitcher in his younger days, Richard

Armbruster kept playing baseball recreationally into his

70s, until his right hip started bothering him. Last

February, he went to a St. Louis hospital for what was to

be a routine hip replacement. By late March, Mr.

Armbruster, then 78, was dead. After a series of

postsurgical complications, the final blow was a

bloodstream infection that sent him into shock and

resisted treatment with antibiotics. Not until the day Mr.

Armbruster died did a laboratory culture identify the

organism that had infected him: Acinetobacter baumannii.

Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain

crystal violet dye in the gram staining protocol.

Acinetobacter baumannii is a gram-negative bacterium,

not a rare disease, and right now it is currently untreatable.

This bacterium is mainly found in the intensive care units

in hospitals where scientists and doctors have been trying

to contain it. In a very short time, Acinetobacter

baumannii will spread, and there is nothing that can help

so far. Acinetobacter baumannii has a double cell

membrane, and it secretes enzymes that break down

antibiotics. Scientists have been trying to find a medicine

so powerful that it will penetrate the double cell

membrane. In some cases of diabetes, the person will eat

so much sugar that the cells which take glucose out of the

blood get destroyed. Scientists are trying to find a drug

that will do that to the Acinetobacter baumannii cells.

This is a very serious problem, so make sure you always

wash your hands and if you are going to get surgery, try to

find a hospital with a low-bacteria intensive care unit.

Sudoku

Fill in the blanks so that each row, each column, and

each of the nine 3x3 grids contain one instance of each

of the numbers 1 through 9. Solutions can be found in

First Class under “Student Bulletins.”

Riverdale Country School 5250 Fieldston Road Bronx, NY 10471 www.riverdale.edu

Staff

Faculty Advisor

Ms. Huggins

Managing Editor

Forrest Simpson

Production Editor

David Silverman

Staff Writers

Sarah Horne, Joshua Rothstein, Kirk Thaker, Rebecca Thau, Ethan Rosenthal, Anabel Getz, Jordan Knitzer, John Cicco, Olivia Corn

The Falcon Times

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Middle School Newsletter