FalconaireA Publication of Monmouth Regional High School

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News/FeaturesComing in 2011, the Tinton Falls Borough Council has debated whether or not they should begin to construct a brand new library...

– page 02

sports

All three Steinberger boys, freshman Mark, sophomore Eric, and senior Kevin are working together this year in hopes of bringing victory to the team.

– page 03

HalloweeN

Hayrides, family activities, shows, and ghoulish fun are some of the best ways to get in the Halloween spirit!

– page 05

November 2008 • volume 47 • issue 02

Decision 2008President:

Max Vandervliet ‘09staff Writer

Shopping SenseKatie Hieber ‘11 and lyndsay Kutiak ‘12

Features editor and staff Writer

Results from MRHS’s mock election held on October 28

Don’t miss an issue! Have all 8 issues mailed to your house

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“Falconaire”for only $10.

Contact Mrs. Collett for

more informa-tion.

For the entire 2008-2009 school year, the PTSA and the Board of Education

haveenrolled Monmouth Re-gional in a fundraising program entitled “School Sense” at Mon-mouth Mall. Although the MRHS involvement has been announced on the morning news several times, most students are unaware of the details of this program. “I do not even know what that is,” said freshman Gabby Yosui-co. Even if they are aware that this program is available, most do not participate in it. “I know what it is, but I do not actually do it,” sophomore Mar-cus Johnson said. School Sense is a fairly simple program. All you have to do is re-turn your cash register receipts to the customer service center and tell them which school you would like to donate to. Upon turning

Financial CrisisWith Economic options dwindling, where is the country to turn?

The

Was this economic downgrade a total un-forseen surprise? No,

not in the least bit. It had been predicted a long time coming in that the increase in housing prices and sky rocketing stock portfolios beginning in the turn of the centu-ry would eventually have to come down. It is basic principle, what goes up must come down and the volatile American economy was no exception. The only question was when would it happen, and too many people took the gamble and lost. In efforts to help out pocket-empty and bank-broke Americans, many different ideas have been proposed. Suggestions fired from every direction includ-ing those of Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson, countless mem-bers of Congress, individual citi-zens, and even President Bush. Finally after much debate and many relentless beatings taken by the Wall Street financials, a “Bail-out Bill” was chosen and compro-mised on by Congress.

The Emergency Eco-

nomic Stabilization Act of 2008 is a bill which extensively outlines the agenda for full relief, reform, and recovery. Sound familiar? Think back to U.S. History II. The ques-tion, though, is will history repeat itself and all will be saved? Or is America and her revered middle class entering into unchart-ed territories?

“I am not so sure that we [Ameri-cans] can pull it off this time,” comment-ed senior Brianna Sas-Ciampoli, “We are not all united behind a universally popular and effective leader and are too diverse as a country to so easily settle such a large prob-lem.”

The Bailout Bill itself calls for 700 billion dollars to be given to the Treasury department. Using this money, assets from the financially weak companies

would be purchased to bring re-lief to individual companies and at a later date, sold at higher pric-es to yield speculative profits for

the federal g o v e r n -ment. In effect, this would help to regulate the econ-omy and the re fo re d e c r e a s e the grow-ing number of bank-r u p t c i e s seen each day on Wall Street.

“ T h e Emergency Stabilization Act is a brilliantly constructed bill which would give sound and lasting structure to the economy on the basis of consideration of all situa-tions. Its only flaw is that it may take a little more time than de-sired for it to work effectively,”

them in, the school receives an equivalent point amount that will be credited to the chosen school. Later, a representative for the school decides what new school supplies will be bought with the accumulated points. Along with Monmouth Region-al, several other schools such as Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) and Ran-ney School participate in School Sense. So far, Monmouth Re-gional has raised a total of 7,177 points, which is about average compared to most of the schools. Math teacher Mrs. Ayer said, “In the era of failed budgets, any form of revenue is a good one.”

said Ken Friedman, financial advisor of New Jersey company, Provisional Supply.

The Bailout Bill pro-vides relief by allowing many companies who are currently un-der great financial strain, to relax enough to regroup themselves and then commence forward. Addi-tionally, this bill provides reform for the future by weeding out po-tentially poor companies. To that end, it also prevents monopolies, or control of an industry by one corporation by lending money to certain and pre-approved strug-gling companies.

Although it is arguably a brilliant collage of teamwork on behalf of the American people, the Emergency Stabilization Act of 2008 is the most current and best articulated weapon we have to combat the ferocity of an eco-nomic recession. Just as seen in history, only time will tell if America has idealized another crisis averting tactic or if the Bailout Bill will sink and drag the economy further into recession.

BarackObama

(D)

JohnMcCain

(R)

FrankLautenburg

(D)

DickZimmer

(R)

RushHolt(D)

AlanBateman

(R)

Senate: House:

Turn to page 4 for more election coverage.

66% 22% 66% 30% 63% 27%

Look for future stories updating

the economy.

TCID:BW

news/features2 November 2008 Falconaire

3..2..1..Good-ByeDennis Murachanian ‘11

Staff Writer

The FalconaireCo-Editors in ChiefMichelle FuterfasEvan Gallinetti Features EditorKatie HieberOpinions EditorDevan Marotta Sports EditorMichelle LeonardoTechnology EditorStephen Weber

Staff WritersLindsey AhernMelanie CicirelliSarah CobuzziAngelica DeFilippisKeona GeorgeMichelle GundelJimmie KingElizabeth KurauLyndsay KutiakVanessa LinderCara MullinDennis MurachanianIsadora Quelhas

Editorial PolicyThe Falconaire will accept written and graphic material for publication in

the Falconaire from students, faculty, and administrators provided it is of interest and value. We reserve the right to reject any material that we consider inappropriate. The Falconaire reserves the right to edit any material received for publication.

Statement of PurposeTo provide a graphic forum of dialogue and expression. To provide the

school and community with information concerning the important issues and ac-tivities pertaining to students, faculty, and administration. To publish an interesting, readable newspaper satisfying the needs of the students and the Monmouth Regional community.

Tannu SinghMax VandervlietStephen WeberKrista WrightAndrew YoungChris Zwieg

Layout TeamMichelle FuterfasMichelle GundelKatie HieberTannu SinghLyndsay KutiakStephen WeberPhotographyLindsey AhernCara MullinAdviserDawn Collett

The six story battered struc-ture that stands at the cen-ter of Tinton Avenue will

be demolished as announced by the Costal Monmouth Bureau on September 24, 2008. The demol-ishment is planned to start two to three weeks following this an-nouncement. Superintendent Mr. Cleary said, “I hope what they put in there will be something that is environmen-tal friendly.” The demolition will not in-volve any types of explosives and will not implode the area. It has been announced that it is to be taken down in steps, starting with the liquidation of the 654,000 square feet of asbestos tiles that covering the unoccupied build-

ing. Next, the rest of the building will be peeled to the ground. Af-ter six weeks of the start date, bit by bit, the building structure will come down. “I think it is attracting attention,” said Mr. Modoni. In a 40 minute meeting on September 30, neighbors met to discuss the demolition plan. They explained that the ending result will be a foundation on the 39 acre property of senior citizen homes covering the entire land development. “I hope it is put to good use,” Mr. Buckiewicz says. “I am hop-ing that there will be a commu-nity center with a tennis court or a pool.” To make sure the demolition is

Tired of our town’s small old library? Coming in 2011, the Tinton Falls Borough

Council has debated whether or not they should begin to construct a brand new library which is more than eight times bigger then the size of our library now. This new library is designed to be 24,000 to 27,000 square feet and could cost up to 6.8 million dollars. The architects are planning to place this immense building where the former borough hall used to be. Although many council mem-bers and residents think this is a great idea, there are other things

Lyndsay Kutiak ’12Staff Writer

Do We Really Need It?that they have to think about. “The problem is, we do not know all the costs associated with running this kind of library,” said Council president Michael Skudera. “I have been asking for months, but I have not been able to get them. We need to get these numbers together to understand the yearly impact.” Another location that the library could be is where Fort Monmouth is now. The council is asking for nine parcels of land from Fort Monmouth. If the council gets that location, then they think that it could be turned into not only a 20,000 square foot library but

also an 80,000 square foot down-town project. Even though almost everyone in Tinton Falls would enjoy a new place to go, with the economy right now, is it really necessary to spend millions of dollars on something we do not necessarily need? “We are in scary times,” said Councilman Ford. “New Jersey might not be far behind Califor-nia, where that state cannot pay their bills. We have to be careful about spending.” We would all like a new library but there might be other things that New Jersey needs first

performed safely, the EPA (En-vironmental Protection Agency) and the OSHA (Occupation Safe-ty and Health Administration) will stand on duty throughout all working hours to make sure that air quality inspections pass.

For students driving to school or on that road, the traffic flow will change adding a fourth direction of traffic after the com-pletion of the development. The intersection will also cause an in-crease of traffic making it harder for anyone to pass or turn to get to the high school. This could cause people to sit at the light even lon-ger making some students late for school. So with the increase of traffic, students will have to start leaving earlier to get to school.

Kate Somerville Gentle Daily WashWhile her products may be a bit pricey, they work miracles. Not only is her cleanser great, but her entire line really clears your skin and leaves it smooth and glowing. $32

Hello Beautiful

CetaphilThis is not a well known product, but ask any der-matologist and they will tell you that this is the best product out there. Cetaphil was created for normal, combination, or oily skin. Its non-irritating formula re-moves surface oils, dirt, and makeup without leaving skin feeling tight or overly dry. $10.75

Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing FoamThis light foam is mild and medicated to clear and prevent acne. Clinique’s acne solution line does not only come with the cleanser, but also with a toner and moisturizer. All products compliment each other very well. $17.50

Kiehls Milk, Honey and Almond ScrubIt gently removes dirt and dead skin. This milk, honey and almond combination leaves your skin feeling extra soft. $14.50

For more articles, click the “Falconaire Online” link on

the MRHS website.

Michelle Leonardo ‘09 Sports Editor

Being a teenager is not always easy. You start dating an amaz-ing person but find out they are cheating on you. Someone you thought was your best friend talks about you behind

your back. In the middle of it all, you wake up with a terrible pim-ple smack in the middle of your forehead! Now it is impossible to avoid the cheating partner or back-stab-bing best friend, but you can have glowing skin. There are many myths about how to prevent pimples or how to get rid of them. For example, putting toothpaste on it can cause a giant blister. Wash-ing your face three times a day will just leave you with dry, itchy skin. About 99% of the time, what you hear only myths. The truth is, having great skin just takes three steps: Cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing.

Remember to give each new product at least two weeks to become effective. Although we wish it would work overnight, every product takes it time.

Murad Exfoliating Fruit Enzyme MaskReveal newer, softer skin with this natural

retexturizing treatment. $30

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing GelThis new gel was created to maintain optimal mois-ture balance for skins comfortable in the cheeks but oily in the t-zone or oily all over. This gel softens, smoothes, and improves. $28

Decleor Hydra Floral Crème HydratanteDecleor is a company that originated in Paris. All of their products are reliable, but this moisturizer leaves skin feeling extremely soft. It combines plant extracts and essential oils that relaxes skin and provides continuous hydration. $54

Mario Badescu Almond & Honey Face ScrubMario Badescu products first hit the shelves in 2004 and are now favorites of many celebrities like Heidi Klum and Jennifer Anis-ton. This scrub gently exfoliates and refines dry, flaky skin and

dulling build up. $15

Cleansers

Exfoliators

Moisturizers

* *

features3 November 2008 Falconaire

Halloween Hot SpotsMichelle Gundel‘09

Staff Writer

Halloween is a widely celebrated holiday. The communities within

Monmouth County celebrate each year with numerous forms of entertainment. If you are a fan of Halloween, you should be sure to go out and experience some of the fall thrills. Hayrides, family activities, shows, and ghoulish fun are some of the best ways to get in the Halloween spirit!

Six Flags Great Adven-ture, located in Jackson, hosts its annual Fright Fest every week-end in October. Fright Fest con-tains numerous family activities, trick-or-treating, hay rides, stom-ach dropping roller coasters, and

rides decked out just for Hallow-een. However, beware that when six o’clock comes around, hu-man monsters and zombies walk the park with numerous spooky props. General admission tickets to the park are $49.99 for the day. Senior Jessyca Risa says, “I love the parade in the beginning when all the monsters come around and I hate the clowns they are so scary.”

For a daytime activity, you may want to travel to Delicious Or-chards located on Route 34 in Colts Neck to pick from a variety of fresh

fruits and vegetables. They have all the goods needed to satisfy your sweet tooth. From freshly baked pumpkin pies to sugary candy apples, you will not leave disappointed. Delicious Orchards

is also very well known for apple picking. Senior Jessica Smith says, “I drive through Colts Neck a lot and everytime I pass those apple trees I just want to stop and pick one.

They look so good.”For a combination of haunted rides and sea-sonal fruits, Casola Farms in Holmdel, is popular among the stu-dents of Monmouth. Ca-sola Farms offers three adventures for the price of one with their annual corn maze, hay rides, and pumpkin patches. This Halloween, Casola Farms presents their Night Time

Haunted Hayride which runs ev-ery Friday, Saturday, and Sun-day from 7pm - 10pm. The ride will take you through 30 acres of haunted farmland past T-Rex and Mad Scientist Dr. Pablo.

Junior Nicole Rothchild says, “Hayrides and costumes are my favorite part of Halloween. I think me and my friends are go-ing to go on some hayrides this year.”

As you can see, our neighboring areas offer many Halloween festivities for mem-bers of the local community.

Falconaire’s Halloween Superlatives!

Best Boy Group

Most oriGinal

Best Girl Group

Best look-a-likeBest HoMeMade

Best teacHer costuMe

Juniors Ross Reed, Andrew Eager, Anthony Milano, and Brennan Smith as the Jamaican Bobsled Team

senior Carlye Bianco as the Magic School Bus

seniors Jenny Hughes, Karlee Butler, Krystina Forbes, and Stephanie Ronan as the Four Seasons

senior Dan Manfredi as Coach Sped

sophoMore Sean Wire as the Volkswagen Bug

Math teacher Mrs. Ayer as a character from the film “The Birds”

Michelle Gundel‘09 & Katie heiber ‘11, Mrs. collett Staff Writer & Features Editor

news4 November 2008 Falconaire

Decision ‘08

Barack Obama John McCainAbortion:

Barack Obama opposes a proposed constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v Wade, the historic Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the United States. Obama disagreed with the Supreme Court ruling to uphold the “Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.” signed by President Bush, that prohibits women from having abortions af-

ter the first twelve weeks of pregnancy.

Education:Obama says the overall goal of Bush’s “No Child Left Behind Act,” which requires public schools to meet test standards to receive federal funding, needs work. Obama hopes to reduce the high school dropout rate by en-couraging parents to take a greater role in their child’s education at home and at school. He proposes making community colleges completely free in

America.

Guns:Obama supports instant criminal background checks on people purchasing guns. He wants to permanently reinstate the assault weapons ban, which outlawed 19 types of military-style assault weapons. Obama voted for the

2005 child safety lock amendment.

Healthcare:Obama says he will create a national health insurance program for indi-viduals who do not have health care from their employers or do not qualify for federal programs. He wants required coverage for all children and those

under 25 to be covered through their parents plan.

Same Sex Marriage:Barack Obama opposes same-sex marriage but is also against a constitu-tional ban on it. He supports full civil unions which give same-sex couples

equal legal rights and privileges as married couples.

Economy Senator Barack Obama advocates a $50 billion emergency economic stimulus plan. The money would be used to provide 1 million jobs for re-building infrastructures like bridges, dams, roads, and airports. The money

would also go to creating jobs.

Energy:Obama would require that ten percent of U.S. energy would come from renewable energy sources like wind power, solar power, and geothermal energy. Obama advocates funding for energy efficient vehicles and appli-

ances.

Environment:Obama would enact an economy wide-cap and trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He would reward forest owners, farmers, and ranchers who plant trees, restore grasslands, or use farming practices that

reduce carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Iraq:Obama would begin removing troops from Iraq within 16 months and com-plete the removal by 2010. He would keep some troops in Iraq to complete specific missions like targeting Al Qaeda, protecting U.S. members and

diplomats, and supporting Iraqi security forces.

Abortion:In 2003, Senator John McCain voted for the Prohibit Partial Birth Abortion bill. He also supports the Supreme Court ruling upholding the Partial Birth

Abortion Ban Act.

Education:As president, McCain would continue the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), claiming it the beginning of educational reform. He proposes devoting five percent of Title II funding to states to recruit teachers who

graduate in the top 25 percent of their class.

Guns:McCain supports instant criminal background checks on people purchas-ing guns; however, he opposes restrictions on assault weapon. McCain

believes in the confiscation of firearms from private citizens.

Health Care:The candidate believes families should be able to purchase a nationwide health insurance that carries across state lines and that their policy should follow them from job to job. He wants to increase awareness while ex-

panding community health centers.

Same Sex Marriage:McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. He also says states and local governments should set their own marriage policies. His campaign says gay adoption is a state issue and

he does not endorse any federal legislation.

Economy:McCain supported the $700 billion Wall Street bailout. He also supported increasing the federal insurance for money deposited in personal bank ac-counts to $250,000. He proposed a plan to ease mortgage troubles by di-recting the federal government to buy up bad mortgage loans from banks

and homeowners.

Energy:McCain suggests a national energy strategy that will rely on the techno-logical ability of American industry and science. McCain is planning work to reduce carbon emissions to 60 percent below 1990 levels of 5017.5 mil-

lion metric tons by 2050.

Environment:With the help of Senator Joseph Lieberman, McCain introduced the Cli-mate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007 that reduces the nation’s greenhouse gases through trading markets and the deployment of advanced

technologies. He would want to use alternative energy sources.

Iraq:McCain does not believe in setting a timetable for withdrawal in Iraq. He says that economic progress is essential to sustaining security gains in Iraq and that its neighbors should promote regional stability by directly invest-

ing the benefits of their oil exports in Iraq.

“McCain will not expand govern-ment as vastly as Obama plans to.” - Junior Steven Berner“ Obama cares about

every race, religion, and minority. “

-Senior Kelsey Darby

Cara Mullin‘09 and Tannu Singh Staff Writer

Katie Hieber ‘11 Features Editor

“

The Steinberger brothers are bringing a new mean-ing to the Falcons’ idea of

team unity. This soccer season the boys are proving to be a strong

What is considered a sport at Monmouth Regional? Some

sports are obvious like football, soccer, track, etc. However when one looks at activities such as marching band and the step team there is a shade of grey. Marching band spends the summer practic-ing the skills they need to perform at the football games and compe-titions, using their athletic ability to march while the color guard twirls flags. Even the step team at Monmouth Regional could be considered a sport, yet their “ac-tivity” is list-ed under the clubs.By definition, a sport is an ath-letic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often a com-petitive nature. Both marching

After School “Activities”

sports3 November 2008 Falconaire

The Berger Brigade

Sarah Cobuzzi ‘10Staff Writer

An Opinion

SPOTLIGHT ON...

Sport: Field HockeyPosition: Left backYears played: 3Quote lived by: “Finish” –The Monmouth FalconsDream school: Boston CollegeGoals: “To win the shore conference”Favorite part of playing: “The team and the experience of the game.”

Sport: GymnasticsEvent: All around but best at beamYears competing: 12Quote lived by: “Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.” –ConfuciusFavorite Gymnast: Svetlana Horkina Dream School: Virginia Tech as a chemistry major Goals: “I would love to place at state sectionals.”Favorite part of competing: “The feeling of accomplishment after an event.”By Jimmie King ‘09

Julia Millington

Michelle Skove

Lindsay Powell

Cara Mullin ‘09Staff Writer

By Keona George ‘09

Check out the sports blogs on our web-site. Just click the “Falconaire Online”

link on the MRHS website.

““However, when one looks at

activities such as marching band

and the step team, there is a shade of

grey.”

band and step team meet these qualifications. The definition does not exactly state that the skill has to be athletic, and the marching band definitely possess-es skill. So far this year they have gone to about three competitions. Step team meets the criteria for a sport as well. It requires a lot of skill and physical prowess. Vig-orous try outs determine who has enough skill to make the team.Even in a small way, the school recognizes these two clubs as sports, they both are included in the pep rally. In the fall pep rally, the marching band marches through the halls getting everyone psyched up, and they are always in the stand playing the pep band

songs at the other seasons’ pep rallies. In the winter, the entire school gets a chance to view the step team’s performance. Junior Dominique Lewis, who is on the step team says, “We work hard and sweat to get it right. I just don’t understand why it’s not a sport.”What really qualifies something as a sport at Monmouth Re-gional? Whether someone gets a varsity jacket for playing on the team? Even then, the marching band would have to be put on the athletics list.

Not even varsity jackets determine whether some-thing is a sport at Monmouth Regional, a high-er power does. “MRHS does not actually decide what is a sport. The NJSAA (New Jersey Interna-

tional Scholastic Athletic Asso-ciation) makes the decision. Our school just enforces it,” says Mr. DeOrio, head of Athletics. So not even the school could change the status of these so called activities. So students on these teams could petition all they want, the admin-istration has their hands tied.Amethyst Fiorentino, a junior in the marching band, laughed and said, “If marching band was a sport, it would be a whole lot easier.”The rest of the marching band doesn’t really try to classify what they do, though. They just en-joy having fun and getting a free ticket to all the school’s football games.

triple threat on the field. All three Steinberger boys, freshman Mark, sophomore Eric, and senior Kev-in are working together this year in hopes of bringing victory to the team. Kevin, Eric, and most recently, Mark, all started their high school soccer career playing on the Varsity team, which Kevin is now a captain of. “I am definitely harder on my brothers when they mess up, but it also makes me work harder,” says Kevin. “Being the oldest, I push myself to be better as a role model.”

Growing up and practic-ing together throughout the years, they have learned one another’s strengths, weaknesses, and limits. Having two brothers who can un-derstand him and his limits is es-pecially important to sophomore

Eric who suffers from colitis. “If I did not have my

brothers on the team I would not have even played this season,” Eric explained, “they are the ones who make my physical pain worth it.” Each of the boys look toward one another for encour-agement and help throughout the many practices and games the team faces. However, these as-pects can be carried out after the season is over for the boys.

“My brothers have helped me improve on my skills and shooting,” says Mark, “being on the same team as them makes me work hard to play at their lev-el.”

Coach Paul Crivello be-lieves the boys’ opportunity to all play on the same team is a posi-tive experience.

“It is probably the last time they will all be able to play together and they are definitely making the most of it by playing

Photo by Cara Mullin

Photo by Lindsey Ahern

Photo by Mr. Ruscavage

Sport: Cheerleading Position: BaseYears competing: 6Quote lived by: “This is not a game!”Favorite Gymnast: Svetlana Horkina Dream School: University of BuffaloFavorite Player: Eli ManningFavorite part of cheering: stunting

By Michelle Futerfas ‘09

*

hard and having fun,” he says.All the boys agree that

working together as a family and a team has nothing but positive results. Kevin says, “I know how my brothers play, we can just read

each other.” This is surely an ability

that has proven to bring success to all the boys this season.

Photo By Cara Mullin

opinions6 November 2008 Falconaire

Economy Crisis

Visit the Falconaire Online!

Contact Mrs. Collett for informantion on how to re-cieve all the issues of the Falconaire at home for only

$10!

Rock the Devan Marotta, Max Vandervliet, and Lindsey Ahern ‘09

Opinions Editor and Staff Writers

Staff Writer

Vote…Or ElseTannu Singh ‘09

America is a country that runs on democ-racy and its people have a say in who runs their country. It is easy to shrug your s h o u l d e r s and have a blasé atti-tude towards such a great honor. Sure, registering to vote can be a pain but you have a right to vote and if you can, you should.Sadly, the youth vote is very underestimated. Election year after election year the percent-age of teens who actually vote compared to other demograph-ics is pretty small. It is in a rebellious t eenager ’s nature to prove adults w r o n g . “We’ve al-ways been so eager to voice our opinions to adults, vot-ing gives us this opportunity,” says junior, Ellen Tse. You have a voice, get out there and use it. A lot of the hot issues directly affect young voters, such as the war in Iraq and education fund-ing in schools. Environmental issues and the use of fossil fu-els versus renewable energy is a concern for the generation who is inheriting the problems of our parents.Senior, Ed Marmut says “This is the most important election of the past 50 years. The economy

The steep drop in the market and value of the economy today can be blamed on

three problems that have grown over time. Sub-prime mortgag-es, or adjustable rate mortgages (ARM), have built up over time. This means that over the past few years, banks have distributed low loans, assuming the market would continue to rise. Having given so many low loans, the banks all sank into debt and the sudden drop in the market threw away all the money they had intended on using. Bank lending prac-tices have also been suspi-cious over the past few years. When handing out loans, banks tended to give loans to people who may have not been qualified for the amount they borrowed. The continu-ous growth of industry also led many to invest in busi-ness that had billions of dol-lars placed in questionable loans. Overall, the assump-tion that Wall Street would continue to grow lead inves-tors to become smug and in-vest recklessly.

The market is still slipping due to the fact that no one solution can be settled on. Many proposed that the govern-ment should step in and fund the market to bring it back up. Those opposed to this plan, however, claim that it interferes with the United States’s Laize Faire sys-tem and borders on Communism.

The market drop not only affects those involved in Wall Street business, it affects people all across the nation, in-cluding students. Ms. Shaloo stated “The economy really weak.” This emphasizes the dramatic changes affecting those all across the country. Although all may

seem lost, the government is tak-ing action and it has been pros-pected that in time the market will right itself. Many different options were dis-cussed and debated over in the quest to find the perfect solution to the difficult problem of Amer-ica’s financial crisis. Finally, President Bush proposed a bill which allowed Secretary of Trea-sury Henry Paulson to spend up to 700 billion dollars. The stipu-lation, however, was that he could

only use it to purchase weak as-sets from companies who were in extreme financial trouble. The insight behind this idea is that it allows struggling businesses to break free of their massive debt and other areas yielding them bankrupt. In effect, this permits many of Wall Streets’ biggest and most important corporations to continue doing business. Ad-ditionally, this process allows the federal government, nicknamed “The Fed”, to make a profit in the long run. The Fed plans to sell these weak assets, purchased from failing companies in the fu-ture for a larger profit, which will only boost the economy.

So, how does the sudden change in the economy affect students at Monmouth Regional? Most students plan on going to college and most universities cost well over 30,000 dollars a year. Many parents had a plan to depend on the value of their house to in-crease so they could take loans out to finance their children’s education. Since the market has crashed, banks and financial lend-ing institutions are not lending out money. This means that people will not receive credit cards and

auto loans as easily as before. Also, the amount of money given out for student loans for college is decreasing as well. Some students will no longer be able to attend the college of their dreams due to money issues.

Mr. Zorski says, “I tell many students that they them-selves can take out 10k a year or 40k total. They have 10 years to pay it back so, with a job, 4k a year is not too bad.”

If you are not consider-ing college just yet, you will soon realize that your parents will not be spending as much. Since the holiday season is

soon approaching, the amount of presents students receive may be limited. Parents may also cut back on unnecessary spending such as eating out at restaurants. Also, ju-niors and seniors may lose their privileges to drive their parent’s car due to no fault of their own but because gas prices are so high families may not be able to af-ford a vacation for winter break, spring break, or even during the summer. Students may possibly have to get a job to pay for their own things to help parents save money. Even though students are not pleased with the condition of the economy, a lesson will be learned on the value of a dollar.

Ho w does a

side of free music with your coffee sound? Since October 2007, Starbucks has teamed up with Apple Inc. to offer cards to cus-tomers that are redeemable for music on iTunes. The program originally offered customers a new song everyday for a month. Because of overwhelming posi-tive feedback, this program is still running but has been updated with new songs now coming out every Tuesday. It takes about a week for a new song – or sometimes even a song with the music video – to be released. “Everytime I go to Star-bucks I look to see if they have a new card out,” says junior Con-

nor Rooney.While the tracks are from

relatively unknown groups, they are far more superior than tracks from some well known groups.

“Starbucks features some really great artists I have never heard before,” says senior Jenna Seitz.

The songs are often simple but are a pleasure to listen to. The process of downloading the songs is very easy. Custom-ers grab a card from their local Starbucks store (location of cards varies by location, so keep a close

look out for them), go home and open up iTunes, open the iTunes store, click redeem and enter the code on the back of the card. Just wait a few seconds for the pick of the week to download and enjoy.

While those who par-ticipate in Pick of the Week have generally positive feedback, many do not even know that exists.

“I haven’t heard about it but it sounds like a good idea be-cause you get free iTunes songs,” says freshman Michael Keating.

According to the Star-bucks news release, the Pick of the Week program at Starbucks is highly popular and receiving ex-cellent results. Many people have been encouraged to go to Star-bucks and get these cards as soon as they are released!

Stephen Weber ‘10 Technology Editor

Rap with your Frap

is in recession. This is your col-lege education on the line; your future job, not your grandpar-ents.”

Do not leave it up to them. Get out there and vote.”Young voters have to be an ac-

tive participant in a democracy. Some think “one vote does not make a dif-ference,” but the reality is that every vote counts. An in-dividual vote is like a whisper but the more votes there are the louder the

voice gets. If you do not vote you really have no right to complain about decisions you do not like. “Vote because you can.” Sci-ence teacher Mr. David, Goode says, “There are people who have risked their lives to come to this country to have freedom and the right to vote. Some Americans take the right to vote for granted.” Who knows when the right could be taken away from you?

“‘One vote does not make a differ-ence,’ but the re-ality is that every

vote counts.”

For more articles click our link on monmouthregional.net!

reviews7 November 2008 Falconaire

Lindsey Ahern ‘09Staff Writer

Christopher Zweig ‘11Staff Writer

“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”

Have you ever seen mov-ies that takes place all one day like “Harold and

Kumar go to White Castle?” I saw the trailer for the new movie “’Nick and N o r a h ’ s I n f i n i t e Playlist,” and I had no clue the story would be told in one day such as this m o v i e . This mov-ie is one of the best teen mov-ies out this fall.

“Nick and Norah’s In-finite Playlist” opens with musi-cian Nick O’Leary (Michael Cera, “Super Bad”, “Juno”) who is still mourning the day his girlfriend Trish (Alexis Dziena, “Fool’s Gold”) broke up with him. Later his band members (Aaron Yoo, “21,” and Rafi Gavron) convince him to come to their gig in New

York. At the gig, Trish’s friend Norah (Kat Dennings, “The House Bunny”) lies to Trish say-ing that she has a boyfriend. Then, she finds Nick and asks him to

be her boyfriend for five minutes. Throughout this whole movie you see Nick and Norah falling for each other, looking for a music band, and go-ing on a wild goose chase for Norah’s drunken friend (Ari Graynor, “Imagi-nary Heroes”).

C o - s t a r -ring Jay Baruchel (“Knocked Up”) and featuring cam-eos by John Cho

(“Harold and Kumar”), Eddie Kaye Thomas (Fox TV’s Ameri-can Dad), Andy Samberg (“Hot Rod”) and Frankie Faison (“White Chicks”), “Nick and Norah’s Infi-nite Playlist” was one of craziest teen movies I have seen. “Nick and Norah” gets five stars.

Looking for a good movie?

Check out CJ’s Movie Madhouse

on theFalconaire Online

Medium Rare…Don’t Overdo It

E verywhere you turn, New Jersey has many different places to eat at. Whether it is a summer night for a summer delight or it is just an

absolute craving, you can spot a New Jersey resident burger lover at any of these listed places!

1Five Guys Burgers and Fries – Shrewsbury (747 Broad Street)

With over 100 locations in 28 different states, Five Guys Burgers andFries tops the best of all franchise burger places. Offering eight differentburgers, teens, kids, and adults will all walk away satisfied. Not only doyou choose the type of burger, but you get to pick from 15 different top-pings! Alongside a burger is a mound of French fries that is enough for awhole family; and that is just a small size!

2Windmill- Red Bank (22 Bridge Avenue)

Monmouth County’s most well- known restaurant chainserves some of the best burgers and foot long hot dogs! If youjust want something to snack on, their crunchy fries will hit thespot! Call them up for any type of special occasion or party toserve up their mouth watering burgers.

Also located in: Brick, Belmar, North and West Long Branch,Ocean Grove, and Westfield.

3Boathouse- Belmar (1309 Main Street)

Rated as one of the top burger restaurants since 2000, TheBoathouse has everything to prove it is the best on the shore!With at least 18 different burgers to choose from, there is nocompetition! To honor the Jersey boy, James Gandolfini , theymade “the Soprano Burger.” Boathouse has top notch serviceand reasonable prices.

Johnny Rockets- (Monmouth Mall)

Johnny Rockets, which first opened in 1986, is a huge chain ofrestaurants. The place was decorated to imitate the 1970’s withits general atmosphere and the sounds of the jukebox. With neverfrozen, pure beef 1/3 pound burgers, they are a delicious treat.For either a dessert or beverage, try their starting age of the 70’smalts and shakes that fill you up just enough!

4 Marked

Marked, written by P.C Cast and Kristen Cast is apart of the

vampire trilogy “House of Night”. It is a book about a girl who unexpectedly gets “marked” to become a teenage vampire, or fledgling, by the mysterious tracker. However, the reader does not learn about him until later in the novel. After mov- ing into the House of Night, Zoey meets a group of o u t c a s t fledglingswho soon becomeher clos- est friends. H e r friendsexplain every-t h i n g to her a b o u t her new h o m e and the dangers of “The Change,” or the transition from human to fledg-lings and finally to vampire. After meeting a corrupt and spoiled fledgling, Aphrodite, Zoey discovers what evil she needs to overcome at the House of Night. Nothing, from insane ex-boyfriends, crazy friends, or people planning her demise will stop her from doing what she knows she needs to accomplish. This book will leave a mark on you! I give it four stars.

Elizabeth Kurau 12’ Staff Writer

Chuck Wicks is an up-rising country star. In late 2007, he was

signed to RCA Nashville Records as a recording art-ist. His debut album, Start-ing Now, was released in January 2008. From this CD, Wicks has released two singles titled, “Steal-ing Cinderella” in 2007 and “All I Ever Wanted” in 2008. The other songs on his album are equally mind-blowing. Chuck Wicks is a highly talented artist; not only does he have a strong and beautiful voice, but he also wrote or co-wrote ten of the eleven songs on his album. The subjects of his songs range from first being in love to heartache. Also,

his songs range from upbeat catchy tunes to slow, sooth-ing acoustic sounds. His lyrics are deep and m ov-ingChuck Wicks: Starting Now eaningful and anyone can relate to at least one of his songs. Chuck Wicks is an absolutely phenomenal artist and I give this album four stars.

Chuck Wicks: Starting Now

Dennis Murachanian ‘11`Staff Writer

For more reviews of the best and worst books,

movies, television shows, games, CDs, and more

check out the Falconaire Online!

HoroscopesAngelica DeFilippis ‘09

Staff Writer

Inspired by www.dailyhoroscopes.com

comic corner

Tannu Singh ‘09Staff Writer

Students in the Hallvariety8 November 2008 Falconaire

News

Cara Mullin ‘09Staff Writer

Andrew Harris, freshman“The war in Iraq be-cause we are los-ing soldiers and it is pointless now.”

Marissa Thorne, junior“Healthcare in America. I think healthcare should be more available

to everyone.”

Johnny Marrero, sophomore“The environment, they need to get rid of trash better.”

Ashley Anton,senior“The economy, be-cause it is effect-ing everyone right

now.”

Nick Kapuscienski, junior“The war, we are spending so much

money on it.”

With the 2008 Presidential Election quickly approaching it seems as if it is all we hear about. Although most Monmouth Regional students are unable to cast their vote, most still have an opinion about the candidates and their ideas for the future. Both Senator Obama and Senator

McCain have different proposals and ideas on how to deal with current issues pressing our country. We asked Monmouth Regional students which factor would affect their choice the most if they were able to vote in the upcoming election.

SpaceInvaders

Taurus (April 20- May 20)It is hard to tell whether your crushes have hurt you at school or whether these people have been put in your path to distract you from pre-existing problems. This month you are capable of mak-ing wise decisions regarding money.

Gemini (May 21- June 21)You may be concerned with your money situation but this will soon fade away. You will receive recognition for the work which you made this month. Family responsibilities keep nagging you, but after November 22, love will enter again.

Cancer (June 22- July 22)You have the chance to earn a lot of money in a very pleasant way. If you are looking for a job, be very careful after November 15, you may act hastily and not pay attention to details. You will get along well with your family which is favorable to having fun.

Virgo (August 23- September 22)

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

Scorpio (October 23- November 21)

Sagittarius (November 22- December 21)

Capricorn (December 22- January 19)

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

Jennifer Conde,Senior“The economy. In A.P. Economics we learned about how we are heading into an economic crisis.”

Subscribe to the Falconaire today!! Have all 8 issues for only $10. Contact Mrs. Collett for more information! You can reach her at dcollett@monmouthregional.net.

Leo (July 23- August 22) Cooperation and teamwork are more important than individual initiatives and effort and can lead to more accomplishments. You can only earn money by working, but you will also get help from your relatives. It seems that you will be buying new and valuable objects for the house. If you are single in November, you should be patient and let things unfold naturally.

You benefit greatly from the connections you have made. You are financially improving and at the end of the month, a job will be offered to you. The family tensions you have been dealing with will fade away this month.

It is a period of hard work but the results will come in time. It is not the time to venture into speculations. You will get rid of the communication problems you were confronted with in October. In school, you have liberty of action and you can finally prove what you are capable of.

Pisces (February 20-March20) This month will bring you success in your career. Important people you come into contact with are impressed with your reliability. Watch your money at the end of the month, income may decrease. Throughout the month, Pisces’ high education is favored, especially if they are professionally related. Try to deal with the urgent problems first and to have as much rest as you can.

Aries (March 21- April 20) Everything is happening at a rapid pace in your professional life. Go out more if you want to earn more. If you are single, you might find love, especially in places dedicated to art like muse-ums, exhibitions, or shows.

This month you will excel financially. You will have a lot of sup-port from friends and family but there may be conflict with you and your partner. Rest more then usual this month and postpone activities that are not urgent. You will find it easy to learn and

You are making good decisions in the financial department. If you are looking for a job, you will have plenty of offers. In the first half of the month, an authority figure might help you but in the second half you can only rely on yourself. Try to be more flexible and understanding this month.

The obstacles you came across at work in October start disap-pearing the first day of November. You feel a sense of control and are trying to improve relationships. Make sure you take time for friends or family you do not seen often. Do not hesitate to express your opinion.

Advice from your family this month will help you with money. You feel less active and do not need routine. You are doing well financially especially after the 22. This month you will have passion and spiritual communication.