Budget cuts have taken away small classroom sizes, and curriculum availability, but now it is taking away something that cannot be replaced, fifteen of Allatoona’s most loving teachers and head coaches.  Some of these educators left their former jobs two years ago in order to have the opportunity to build a program from the ground up.  Now as of this week, these same hardworking teachers are being let go.  The expression “Teaching is not a profession; it’s a passion”, can easily serve to describe the dedication that thrived and still does exist in our affected teachers.

        Personally, my past two years at Allatoona has allowed me to become acquainted with some of the best teachers I’ve ever had.  I’ve met a variety of personalities and I’ve experienced a collection of teaching styles.  The sincere teacher who is so passionate about learning, she has cried about the most inspirational stories in history.  I had the privilege of learning about science from a dry humored, yet extremely funny coach and child at heart. I’ve even had the honor of being taught by Allatoona’s mystery woman who drives one of the nicest cars in the parking lot.

       However, unfortunately at the end of the 2009-2010 school year, Cobb County has voted to cut 579 full and part time teachers.  But, rather than having sympathy for the educators that we’re losing, perhaps we should celebrate their remaining time here.  A contribution a teacher has made to students’ lives cannot be “reduced” nor is it “temporary”.  It is a gift that has created some of the most passionate student reactions in Cobb’s history.  With these last two weeks left, the teachers and students at Allatoona should still spend their remaining time growing the connection that makes Allatoona the school it is, and will continue to be, regardless of our losses.

        In order to express to the community how dear our teachers are to us, please leave a comment on this article with a memory of your affected teacher.  Writing your name on a petition is one thing, but a sincere thought is something entirely different.

Three men, including the captain of the ship, have been arrested and charged for veering nine miles off course into a prohibited zone of the reef. Although it may seem unrelated, the global economic crisis has posed a major threat to the Great Barrier Reef because many ships have been taking short cuts through restricted ecological areas in order to save fuel. These ships can severely damage the delicate coral not only by possibly wrecking into it but also through oil spills and other pollutants that could leak into the water and degrade its quality

The Great Barrier Reef provides a multi-million dollar tourism industry for Australia and hosts popular activities such as glass bottom boating, scuba diving, snorkeling, and helicopter rides. The Reef is on the World Heritage list of important global locations and is considered one of the seven wonders of the natural world. Covering an area of 133,000 miles, the Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world and is home to hundreds of thousands of different plant and animal species, many of which are endangered. This natural wonder is clearly something worth protecting and the destruction of this amazing ecosystem would have serious repercussions across the globe.

            Eyjafjallajokull had only erupted previously in 1612 and 1821 according to records. Because this volcano is located on a glacier, the lava melted the ice, causing flooding powerful enough to wash away roads. Luckily, the volcano is located in a sparsely populated area, so few people were forced to evacuate. Scientists worry this eruption could trigger another eruption from Katla, a neighboring volcano. Katla is the most intensely watched volcano in all of Iceland. An eruption of this volcano would make the crisis that Europe is in right now exponentially worse.

            The plume of the volcano stretches from Britian’s East Coast, to the North Sea, and to the Dutch Coast Line. Air traffic was suspended completely from Wednesday, April 14^th, to Sunday, April 18^th because of the danger that comes with flying through volcanic ash. In 1989, a KLM flight discovered what would happen when planes fly through volcanic ash. The plane lost all four engines momentarily until the pilot was finally able to regain control. The dust cakes on to the inside of the engines, causing them to slow or even stop. The particles in the ash can also peel paint, clog passenger air ventilation, and disrupt navigation. For these reasons, air traffic control has been extremely cautious about allowing planes to take off.

            Although some air travel has finally resumed, flying in and out of Europe is at a gridlock. Sixty percent of scheduled flights were back in the air as of April 20^th. The first flight landed in London-Heathrow on April 20^th since last Wednesday. A few countries still remain completely shut down after 7 days of no flights in or out, costing airlines a huge chunk of change. Airports are overwhelmed with the number of stranded passengers.

            With the significantly lowered amount of flights taking off, the value of a one way ticket has skyrocketed. Many travelers have to get creative by choosing alternate routes by train or bus. Southern European countries such as Spain were bewildered by the number of people trying to depart out of Europe, but flights were completely booked there too, leaving the problem of stranded passengers unresolved.

            The vast amount of stranded passengers throughout Europe leaves little hope for a speedy recovery out of gridlock for airports around Europe. This disturbance by nature placed a large economic burden on airlines around the globe. The volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, not only caused damage to Iceland, but it also caused a worldwide disruption to air travel.

            Brown has not officially released a statement yet but his father is in complete denial that his son could have performed such an action. Houk’s mother and sister are pressing charges against Brown and are demanding he be tried as an adult. The judge has denied Brown the chance to be transferred to juvenile court due to the crulety of his heinous murder. Houk’s family is asking for a life sentence in prison.

            The official police report has not yet released the exact date of the murder; however, they have released a hypothetical scenario of the crime. It started out one early February morning when Brown took his 20 gauge shotgun, which his father bought him for hunting purposes only, and shot Houk while she was sleeping. According to police, Houk’s 4-year-old daughter found her mother dead in her bed later that day. The child alerted landscapers working near the home, who then called authorities. After accomplishing his goal, Jordan simply grabbed his book bag and walked out the door to catch the bus, just like any other day.

          The boy’s attorney is asking for imprisonment until age 21 instead of life. His position is, “The boy is only a minor, and therefore cannot fully comprehend the effects of his actions.” In many other cases that involve juvenile murderers for children who were held until age 21, as soon as they were released they headed straight back into a life of crime. In most cases, after these children are released they take at least one more innocent person’s life.

          As of now, the only evidence supporting the persecution of Jordan is the fingerprints on his shotgun and the time of death placing him alone with Houk while she was asleep. Whether you believe that Jordan is innocent or not, you have to feel extreme pity for the family, and for the two innocent people who were murdered.

               You’re sitting at home eating a chocolate cake. After you finish one piece, you go back for another. You cannot stop eating it because it is “so addicting.” What if this statement was not a figure of speech? What if chocolate cake truly was addicting?

                Scientists recently conducted a study determining that fattening foods may cause a cocaine-like addiction. They observed rats and how fatty foods affected their eating habits. The results proved that when the rats consumed foods that were high in fat in large quantities, it resulted in obsessive eating habits that resembled a drug addiction.

                Scientists, Paul J. Kenny, Ph. D. and coworkers at Scripps Research Institute, in Jupiter, Florida observed three groups of lab rats for forty days. The first group was fed regular rat food. The second group was fed high-calorie foods for one hour each day. The third group was permitted to consume unhealthy foods such as bacon, cheesecake, and frosting for up to twenty-three hours a day.

               The third group of rats experienced physical and mental disabilities. They became obese and developed a tolerance to the pleasure the food gave them. This tolerance pushed them to eat more in order to experience their original satisfaction. The third group of rats was now addicted to these foods and even continued to eat when in pain. The scientists then applied a shock to the animal’s feet while around food. All the rats ran away in fear, except for the third group.

                During a previous experiment, the same behavior was revealed. When the rats were exposed to cocaine and heroin, similar alterations of the brain occurred. They continued consuming the drug even in the face of affliction.

                The rats’ obsession with these unhealthy foods is connected to dopamine levels in the brain. When overconsumption occurs, dopamine levels drop, making the consumer feel the need to eat more food. Low levels of dopamine in humans can be detected in drug addicts, obese individuals, and even in one’s genetics.      Dr. Gene-Jack Wang, M.D., did not find these results surprising. He connected the way we make our food to cocaine. Cocoa leaves are purified to deliver the high more effectively to the brain. This in turn makes the drug more addicting. Our food is purified in much the same way. Take corn syrup for instance: we purify corn to create a much more fattening product. “We eat unconsciously and unnecessarily. We eat like a drug abuser [uses drugs],” commented Wang.

               Of course, this addiction can easily be overcome. Simple willpower can turn these eating habits around. Also, just because these results have been found in rats does not mean it is necessarily true in humans. If true, however, these findings may be able to help discover a treatment for obesity. The next time chocolate cake and cheesecake are calling your name; remember that there may be consequences to your second helping.

Two weeks after receiving the highest honor for her acting career she found out that her husband has been cheating on her. It was speculated that she found out about the affair between James and Michelle “Bombshell” Mgee from a call from InTouch magazine when they called to write a story about it. The rumor now says that she found out from her publicist, but either way no one can disagree that it is a horrific ending to such a successful month.

Mgee exposed James to the magazine InTouch and they decided to create a huge spread about it. Mgee claims that she had no idea that James and Bullock were still married; she simply thought that they were separated. She argues that she never would have had a relationship with James if she knew they were still married. Jesse James admitted the affair immediately. He says that they got together while Sandra was working on The Blind Side and had sexual relations more than once.  Three days after James’ secret was revealed to the whole world he apologized to his wife and children saying, “My poor judgment has brought my family embarrassment beyond comprehension.” Sandra apparently didn’t think that was enough because she has officially moved out and is planning to file for divorce.

This is a sad story because you have to see one of the most powerful women in acting be brought down by her husband’s actions. Everyone is hoping that Sandra will keep her head up and will make better movies than she ever has before