Tuesday, January 17 your news stories

Below you will find all the news stories that I received by noon on Monday. They have been checked in, and cursorily read, but are not graded. I'll get to that part on Tuesday. As stated on the blog everyday since January 6, all news stories were due by midnight Sunday. If I missed yours, let me know. They are now worth only 50 points. Please remember that the marking period will end for us next Monday, at which point the rest of the week is exams. I will be downtown grading. Next Monday, if there is still anything I or you have missed, please plan on showing me in class. 

As well, all previously received assignments have been put in the grade book. Check!

In class today: please read over the news stories. Select 8 of the stories that particularly caught your attention.  Write the headline, followed by a positive, well-articulated comment. Post these....with your name, if you intend to get credit- at the end of the blog. I suggest you create a word document, and then post one time. Do not send them to me! These are due at the end of class today, with the exception of those who receive extended time.
There is no additional class time for the news unit.

New unit tomorrow: satire, because your pen shall heal, not hurt. (paraphrased from LL Montgomery)

Statistics and Facts about Child Abuse in the U.S.

  By Adrianna Lester

Statics say that over the past 10 years’ children in America are victims of abuse and killed in their own homes by their own family members. It is estimated that more than 1,000 children are abused and neglected in Monroe County each year. Right here! Where we live. What can we do as a country and as a community to stop this madness? We often look over situations like these, leaving it to the “professionals”, known as Child Protection Services(CPSs) but; What about all those cases out there that haven’t been solved? What about all the children that are still victims of abuse? Do we still leave this the professionals?  Child protection services, job is to promote safety and the well-being of children, yet there are still children in our very own community being punished for no apparent reason.

I understand that this is a big community and there aren’t a lot of social workers; but what I don’t understand is why the children weren’t taken out of the situation in the beginning in the beginning.                                                                                                                                         

Everyone deserves a second chance; I get that, but why not take the child away and let their parent or guardian get some help instead of letting the child stay in the situation. Are we as a community speaking up? Are child protection services really doing their job?

6 Children Found Living in Filth and Gas

   by Adrianna Lester

6 children were found in their home on Bay Mount street at 10:25 Thursday morning by their neighbor, Mrs. Anderson due to a foul smell of gas. When Mrs. Anderson removed, the children form the house she contacted the children’s parents and police. When the police arrived to the scene, they said that the smell was so putent that you can smell it inside the car.  Mrs. Anderson said, “when I walked into the house the smell of gas was so strong. The house was just filthy and the children were laying in front of the television not really recognizing what the smell was, no parent or adult was in the house.” Each of the children were all under the age of 10.  As the police were investigating the scene they saw that the windows were broken out of the children’s window’s and the children were sleeping on mattresses on the floor without the proper bedding. Officer Milting said, “it is horrific to see children living in this kind of predicament, I just don’t understand why CPSs hasn’t taken these children, if it were up to me the parents would be in jail and given no visitation to their children”. The children were taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where they were checked for signs of any Natural gas poisoning. Thankfully the children were fine in that sense, but bruises were found on the children.   The hospital notified CPSs about the situation. Officials say that CPSs already knew what was going on and they were notified several different times, but they didn’t really do anything about the situation. When the children were taken the first time they were taken to their grandmother, but they ended up being with their mother again. The Police and Child protection services are still trying to get in contact with the parents.  

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Senioritis Hurts High School Seniors

Growing use of social media hinders senior focus

Katherine Scardino 

The epidemic of senioritis in high school students is increasing as social media competes for teenage attention.

Senioritis is a commonly used term to describe a lack of motivation in high school seniors. As students finish their college applications they often lose the determination to continue to do well in school.

While senioritis may seem harmless enough, it is important to remember that most U.S. colleges still use mid and end-year reports. For students like local high school senior Frieda Jones, who “[doesn’t] even pretend to do classwork anymore”, this can have serious consequences. A poor report can cause an institution to rescind college acceptance, or even financial aid.

For-profit student counseling organization: IvyWise, informs students that colleges “like to see an upward grade trend”. The tendency of seniors afflicted with senioritis to prioritize social media over school work can wreak havoc on this trend.

The prevalence of smart phones and social media is an increasingly large barrier to education. “ I have way more focus on my phone than class anyway”, said high school senior Carolyn Blake. She went on to explain that many of her peers share her feelings.

Students feel an increased disregard for school rules in their final year. Even though most schools prohibit phone use, seniors are often undeterred from checking social media throughout the day. One local senior, who wishes to remain anonymous, said “I don’t really pay attention to school policy this year. I don’t care enough to follow dress code, passes are irrelevant, and I have my phone out in class everyday”.

Despite this newfound focus on senioritis, it doesn’t look like there will be a cure anytime soon.  

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Years of Misery, or amusement?

Middle school: 3 years of many emotions,lessons

By Nuria Osman, published: January 13, 2017  

Strong Axe colon that stings your nose hair, Manual pencil sharpeners in class that destroy knuckles, cheesy school dances and embarrassing yearbook photos pretty much sum up life as a middle schooler. As awkward middle school has been for most people, it’s a time in your life that will most likely sit in the back of your memory no matter how hard you try to forget it. Middle school has a significant impact on most people. Although life as a middle schooler has always been known as a time period of confusion and complication, as you start to discover who you yj7uare, it can also be a time of adventure and excitement as you grow older and run into many kinds of people and friend groups. “ My life as a middle schooler isn’t your average, I have learned a lot during my middle school years, I learned that friends aren’t always your friends,  and most importantly how to be a leader and not a follower.” said former middle school student, Maria Morales. It’s clear that middle school has helped shape Maria to become the person that she is today. Her personal experiences in middle school have taught her many life lessons that she still carries today. Often, current and former middle school students have a different description of middle school experiences. “ As a current middle schooler, life is good.  I’m learning a lot academically, while also having fun” said school #58 8th grader, Aden Osman.

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Racist or not?

In the past few years, a lot has been made of racial logos and team namesakes.

By: Joshua Pettway

           In recent years many natives have been speaking out on attitudes toward namesakes and logos such as Washington Redskins, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Blackhawks, Florida State Seminoles et cetera. They’ve recently come up more by the younger generations of native american descent, some people have found it strange that most of these claims have most notably come up when these teams began losing. I wanted to know if these namesakes and team logos were actually considered racist or not.

   

    Cinnamon a woman of native american descent I asked if she found these names and logos to be disrespectful, degrading or racist. “I don’t like the names themselves nor the logos, I do find them racist degrading and disrespectful,” she said. Why do they feel that way for you? “They over exaggerate stereotypes, the indians with the pure read face or the name itself, we’re not indians were native americans, the Redskins, like were not red skin at all our skin tone is just like others,” she said. In a poll by the washington post they tested native americans attitude toward the redskins name and there wasn’t a single poll were people felt over 20% that the name was offensive or over 25% that felt the name was disrespectful. Which makes you question are these namesakes and logos racist or not, to a small few they may racist but not to the majority.      

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Most of the time victims send to Death because of the Bullies

 by Ler Tha Tau

While bullying in school remains a serious issue, many students are committed suicides. On Friday, Jan 13th 2017, James Tozer, who wrote the article talking about 11 years old boy who overdose of painkillers after other student in school picked on him. He said  “ A distraught mother has claimed that her 11-year-old son was driven to suicide by bullies at his school.” This kind of situation like bullies, not only affects the victims but also affects their love ones, and people who cares. James also said “ On the day of his death, he had got off the school bus to escape the bullies. Miss Thompson said she had spoken to Thomas's teachers, but the school claimed the only reported incident had been at a bus stop and involved children from another school.” And "There is absolutely no record of the child reporting bullying within the school. We saw no evidence of Thomas being treated differently by other pupils,"Wallasey School Headmaster Martin Pope said. “Extremely intelligent boy; the whole school has been deeply shocked and saddened by Thomas's death."                                                     

     This article contains some of the facts and statistics that we have found to make the biggest impact on how adults and parents come to realize bullying as a problem not only in their community but throughout the entire country as well.                                Even though bullying has been around for many years and isn’t likely to end any time soon, it isn’t something that should be ignored.                                                   

    The more people who learn how to handle bullying, the less of an impact it will have on everyone, especially those who are often the victims of bullying. The problem with many bullying situations is too many people are unwilling to step up and take action against the person who is performing the bullying actions.           

    Many schools today respond to bullying, or other types of school violence, with reactive measures. However, having metal detectors or surveillance cameras or hiring police to patrol the halls has no real positive results.  Now, you can see United States has less Bullying in school, workplaces or else.

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Singer Breaks Silence
Mariah Carey’s Team Shuts Down New Year’s Eve Rumors
Katherine Fuss

Mariah Carey and her management team explain what truly happened that prevented her New Year’s Eve performance from going as planned.
The first misconception is that Carey skipped her sound check, and the checking the sound equipment properly. Her manager, Stella Bulochnikov, explained that is incorrect, and that Carey was present the whole time. She did have a dance stand in, but she was off to the side to do the sound check. The sound came through choppy, but she was assured by the technical crew that it would work fine for her performance. 
She later had an interview with Ryan Seacrest, and it was clear she was still having sound trouble. It was coming through choppy, but again, she was reassured that it would be working before her performance. 
Carey was still having problems minutes before her performance, despite receiving a new mic pack. She was again told that once she got on stage it would be fine, but even when they went live she could not hear anything. 
Out of frustration, she took the ear piece out, in attempt to hear the track and sing along. Unfortunately, it was drowned out by the New York City crowd and she was left unable to hear anything. 
It was also rumored that she was lip synching, but Bulochnikov shut that rumor down by explaining that singing to a track, what Carey and many other performers do, is completely different from lip synching. 
Bulochnikov was also ‘disgusted’ by the fact that Carey and her team had not received a formal apology from Dick Clark Productions, and hinted to the idea of sabotage by saying, “We live in this viral world where anybody will do anything for a viral moment.”
Carey showed her readiness to move past the whole thing as she tweeted “Sh*t happens. Have a happy and healthy new year everybody! Here's to making more headlines in 2017.”

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The Truth of Senior Year:
What No One Tells You About Your Senior Year

by Tonyeisha Brown

Senior year of high school can be much more stress and much more in general than a person leads you to
 believe. In reality, your senior year can be economically and mentally frustrating. Getting ready to pay for
 all of senior year’s invaluable treasures can be quite expensive such as a yearbook, prom, etc. Also, if you
are going to college, you stress about how you are going to pay for it and where you are going to go. Senior
 year can be frustrating and fearful when getting ready for the next step. The college process frustrates you,
filling out scholarships, the reality of school work. Another frustrating factor is the workload of senior year
when you have to keep up with schoolwork, college deadlines, and a job. Additionally, “High expectations
when things are going wrong can be frustrating ” said Keoni Smith, a senior a School of the Arts.

Although in reality, senior year is a lot to keep up with; however, senior year does have its benefits. You get to
 make more friends, become connected even more with peers you wouldn’t have thought you would be friends
 with. I asked a student how is the reality of his social life of senior year. The response I got was a little unexpected.
 “Making friends who I would have never thought that I would be friends with. I can see and identify the change in
 the peers that I hang around” said Rashid Pendleton, a School of the Arts’ High School senior. Overall, the truth of
 senior year is that “your grades still matters… senioritis will hit--[so] fight it...you will be busy, so stay organized...
it'll be exciting--and emotional,” it will go quick, pay attention to your deadlines. Yes, it is much more to expect
than what you are normally told, but you will get through it. 

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Men and women fashion, are you in or out?

by Steven Colson

Fashion has changed over the last couple of decades especially male and female clothing. Nowadays clothes 

has no gender. You're starting to a a similarity between the clothes. Whether it's the color or the style, guess 

you can't turn it down. The brand UGGS were simply female shoes at first then started making men boots as

 well and what do you know there most popular in 2016-2017. Same with Jordan's or as the younger crowd 

says Jay’s. Those shoes are usually worn by men who play basketball but now women are wearing them creating 

such a bold fashion statement.
The 90’s are coming back into fashion. For women it's the scrunchies, high waisted pants and shorts and a lot of

 cool colors. For men there's the color block windbreaker 90’s related cartoons or teenage shows such as All that ,

 saved by the bell. Not just shows but bands and singers like David Bowie , gunz and roses and Metallica. For the

 both are lighter colors in pinks and blues also acid wash jeans and baggy jeans.
To find out more about what's in and the similarities I interviewed a high school student to get her opinion about

 the matter. She said “what's in is more of the distressed look”. Which is more of the ripped up stuff such as ripped

 shirt and bleach stained shirts. I asked “do you see any similarities between the gender fashion?” She replied with

 “yes such as the styles like the distressed and fabrics and what's on the clothes. Also the colors more men are

 wearing the coral , salmon and light pink kind of colors.” I thanked her and concluded the interview
Check your closet see if you have the latest fashion trend just waiting around for you to wear

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The Truth Behind It All
Reasons why college might be right or wrong for you
By: Rashi'd Pendleton

College presents pros and cons to those who decide to spend their years after high school drowned in school work.

In recent years college has become more popular than ever leading more students to think of the possibilities 

that can come with obtaining some form of degree. The income of a graduate student always finds its way to the

 top of the list of reasons for going to college. On average, a college graduate student makes 30,000 more a year

 and over 500,000 in a lifetime than a high school graduate. In the 2012 edition of the Forbes list, more than 50%

 of the Americans listed were college graduates.

The recessions in 2008 and 2010 increased the requirement of jobs in America. Jobs only requiring some college

 education or an associate’s degree fell by 5.6 million. According to Georgetown University in 2018, approximately

 63% of jobs will require a college education.

Student loan debt seems to be one thing a lot of college students cannot avoid with the average debt being 

$20,326 in 2012. 10% of the graduate population is $40,000 in debt and 1% is $100,000 in debt. The amount of

 money a student owes can lead to the delay of having financial stability and going to college doesn’t always

guarantee that you’ll find a job. According to the Bureau of Labor projected 30 fastest growing jobs between 

2010 and 2022, five do not require a high school diploma, and nine require a high school diploma.

College life isn’t always filled with unforgettable parties and friendships. “The competition for grades, the need 

to perform, relationships, fear of AIDS, career choice and many other aspects of the college environment cause 

stress” said The University of Florida’s Counseling & Wellness center.

Despite the cons of going to college, the numbers of students enrolling increases each year. Some of the students 

go off to be well known Americans in society and other falls just beneath their expectations; either way, college is 

always going to be around. 

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Statistics Shows Pro and Cons Of Attending School and Having A Job
By Jose Alicea

More and more college and high school students are maintaining a job while attending school. Research has 

shown while it could be a very helpful for many students it also could show a negative effect in grades. Studies

 show that students who work past the intended amount which usually is 15 to 20 hours, show a dip in their grades

 the cause usually having to do with time management skills. On the other hand, you have situations where students not only have a way to make money but they also learn life skills in these jobs that could help one in the future.

.I spoke to students who attend school while having a job and frequent answers were about time management skills and the stress that comes along. “ A lot of stress, and if you do not manage your time well, you will get behind ” said Jancel.

More and more students are realizing college is not cheap, and having a job early can help save some of the 

headache of having to pay off students loans and such. It all comes down to the individual student and their

 situation. A college student in dire need of money might not have a choice and having a part time job is their

 way while a high school student who already participates in many extracurricular activities might be better off

 holding off on having a job at the moment. 

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Integration of Humans, Technology
Technology Impacted Lives Since Wheel

By Keoni Smith

Inventions advanced the way tasks can be completed, with ease and speed that humans desire more of.

Humans and technology have evolved simultaneously for some time; the wheel lead to wagons, trains, and cars 

to make transportation a breeze, and early computing resulted in wireless phones, smartphones, and the push 

a fully digital world.

Technology surrounds society entirely today, constantly leaving an impact on everyday lives.

Some of these impacts are positive, as leaving the house to scavenge for information isn’t always ideal. “The 

internet can be accessed quickly to look up information such as a doctor's number,” Christine Smith said.

Technology has its drawbacks that bring a great deal of controversy as well. Whether it would be the questioning

 of the President-elect’s Twitter posts, or the advanced computer hacking that has leaked confidential information,

chnology causes some harm.

Although technology is the center of hot button topics as a result, technological breakthroughs in recent years

 suggest further integration and coexistence of technology and humans.

Transhumanism allows for natural human limitations to be surpassed through technology. The development of 

smart devices such as Google’s self-driving car, Waymo, also sets a foundation for humans and robots to share

tasks.

The growing role of technology potentially rivals humans. “Things like physical interaction, reading, and listening

 to music can be done on media devices. Although this is convenient, it takes away the value of these things that 

can be done on our own. This is problematic as it can actually cause establishments like libraries, theaters, and much

 more to close,” Caroline Smith said.

Despite its cons, companies continue to develop smart technologies to enhance the lives and efficiency of human

 lives, some of which will be trends, and others leaving a monumental impact such as the wheel that started it all.

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How diverse is the business world? 

Taijanah Jackson

With there being billions of people in the world and millions in the united states. So how diverse is the business

 world? Not only when it comes to skin color but when it comes to sexual orientation and gender? Back the thing

 were a lot different and white males dominated the corporate world. Luckily several studies prove the the business

 world is much more diverse than it was 30 years ago.

“The United States Department of Labor estimates that 85 percent of new entrants into the 2013 labor market

 will be women, minorities and immigrants.” Said Laura A. Foster a writer from multibriefs.


When looking at the statistics visually it paints a completely different picture. After comparing several graphs it's

 apparent that white males still dominate the business world, but what about the minority's how have either 

numbers changed over the last few years? A graph from the ASTD Training Data Book shows that from 1982 to

 2005 that the number of minorities in the workforce is expanding particularly in Asians and Hispanics. This graph

 also, shows that it's slowly contracting among white males.

In a perfect world there would be no majority and no monitory in the workforce, but the question is, is that even 

in the realm of possibility for there to be no minority and no majority in the work force? Sources say it is possible.

“Census data tell us that by 2050 there will be no racial or ethnic majority in our country. Further, between 2000

 and 2050 new immigrants and their children will account for 83 percent of the growth in the working-age population.” Shown

in an article by americanprogress.org.

So the question still rests. How diverse is the business world? Slowly but surely day by day the workforce is

 becoming more diverse and in thirty years or so it will no longer be a question to ask. 

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Life of a Classical Percussionist in Today’s World:
The day to day struggles between auditions, rejection, and PRACTICE

by Griffin Harrison

Being a member of a symphony orchestra is like having a dream job. You have a tenured position with benefits,

 and you get to play music with world-class musicians everyday.

However, in today’s world, the odds of landing one of these dream jobs are extremely low. The odds of getting 

drafted into the NBA are higher than the chance of winning an orchestral audition, especially for percussionists.

“In a good year, we may have 4 openings. One position in one of the big 5 orchestras, two in medium sized

 full-time orchestras, and usually one in a smaller part-time ensemble”, said Ruth Cahn, retired percussionist 

and assistant timpanist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Every year, 4,000 students across our country graduate with degrees in percussion performance, hoping to squeeze

 their way into a job with a professional orchestra.

However, in a standard orchestra there are only 4 positions in the percussion and timpani sections, with one 

timpanist and three percussionists.

To make the situation even more competitive, an opening in a professional ensemble only becomes available 

when a member dies, or becomes ill.

“The odds are insane”, said Paul Yancich, Principal timpanist of the Cleveland Orchestra. “This is like the olympics. 

Practicing for an orchestra job is like training for an olympic event. This is not easy”.

That means that there could be a year or two when there are no openings, at all.

Then when there is an opening, percussionists from all over the world fly out to audition for that one spot.

A typical orchestral audition has three rounds: Preliminaries, semi-finals, and the finals. Sometimes, there's a 

resume and pre screening round before the live rounds, where applicants send their resumes and recordings 

of their playing.

And even after the audition is over and it’s time for panel to hire someone, sometimes they can’t decide on a

 player, and they hold the whole audition over again.

It’s no surprise that a lot of incredible players never end up playing in orchestras, just because of this audition 

process.

Nevertheless, their love of the music is so great that percussionists are willing to go through the process of 

auditions, rejection, and lots of practice to have a shot at their dream job. 

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 Bulling may still be a trend, but losing a loved one isn't, the family of a Texas teen share their story

November 30th Texas City teen Brandy Vela kills herself after being bullied on social media because of her weight.

by Zariah Pendergrass

Reports form Bullying Statistics says rates of bullying has been varied across studies form (9% to 98%). 

From the ages 112 to

 18 those students have reported a rate of 35% for traditional bullying and 15% for cyber bullying. The bullying

 statistics also states that reasons for being bullied most often by students were looks which were (85%) and 

body weight (37%).
CNN claims that Brandy's sister, Jackie says she had always been bullied for her weight, but the cyber bullying 

has ramped up in April. "People would make up fake Facebook accounts and they would message her and she

 wouldn't respond and they would still come at her". Jackie Vela also states the comments mentioned were mea like, 'Why are you still here?'

With the percentages of bullying and cyber bullying rising it seems as those students have been bullied at one 

point in their life and it has doubled from 918% to 34%) from 2007-2016. Without any help from the police Brandy

 Vela felt helpless and she didn't know what to do.
It's suggested that the association between bullying and suicide related behaviors is a big relationship to the

 statistics. It's often mediated by factors such as depression, violent behaviors, and substance abuse. Vela sends a

 text to her family stating "I love you so much, please remember that, and I'm sorry for everything". Her family

 rushes home just to walk in on her pointing the gun at herself, and before they could convince her to not pull

 the trigger she had already did. 

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NOTE: whoever wrote the following, please identify 

yourself, otherwise you will not receive credit

Bullying “it's bad”

Childhood bullying is very prevalent throughout the public school system. On January 5 there was a

 charge filed for bullying. A concerned parent states their child was being bullied. A child whom once

 lived school now fears going and cries everyday when she has to go. The parent says that the school

 teacher and administration was informed and has not done anything about the situation.

There are many different views and opinions which take place on this thought.

“Bullying doesn't exist, who is to judge what is mean and hurtful to others. Everyone is so sensitive now 

you never know who will be offended by what”

“I would rather be a little nobody, then to be a evil somebody.”

“Knowing what's right doesn't mean much unless you do what's right.”

“People who love themselves, don’t hurt other people. The more we hate ourselves, the more we want

 others to suffer.”

Many people are against bullying because it harms the social aspect of these children, it scares them 

emotionally and sometimes even physically. Some of these kids overcome the issue but some kids are no 

longer able to handle it and leads them to make drastic life changing decisions. The kids who do overcome

 this bullying usually come out stronger and can handle more emotional situations rationally.

The statement before on how bullying does not exist has some truth to it, but where as the speaker grew up at 

an earlier time period without technology he was able to get away from the bullying where kids now always have

 it because of social media and other aspects which can bring it into their own home. 

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The Truth Behind

Final Year of High School

 by Maria Morales

On average, teens reported their stress level was 5.8 on 10-point scale due to the 

activities and priorities that teens have to keep up with, especially those in their last 

year of high school.

Friday afternoon, I obtained the opportunity to ask two School Of The Arts seniors about

 their perspectives on the reality of being a senior.

‘’Honestly senior year isn’t anything like the things I’ve been told by seniors before me, 

 I was expecting to be out of school by at least 6th period, but I’ve decided to take extra 

courses to have a full schedule: sadly, it's almost the same as all the other years of high 

school, with a little more stress because of the college process, deadlines and financial needs

 for things such as trips, and college fees,’’ Nuria Osman said. ‘’ I was expecting senior year to be a 

lot  more fun, but that depends on the kind of school you attend : we haven’t really been 

given any senior privileges.’’

‘’I learned some hard truths about School Of The Arts and our district :students , especially 

seniors, aren’t their top priority’’, Frieda Jones , a School Of The Arts senior said.

‘’Only about a third of U.S. high school seniors are prepared for college-level coursework 

in math and reading’’, Lauren Camera , an educated reporter said.

Half of the seniors do not graduate and have to attend summer school.

As well as half of the seniors do not part take in senior activities.

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                                                                   Social media and it's politics  

                            Social media has an impact on politics that's larger than ever before.  

                     By: Jacob Dillon

In recent years, social media has had an enormous impact on politics and continues to do 

this to this day. With the digital age thriving and everyone having access to the internet as 

well as computers, it's no surprise. Media makes it as easy as possible for people to

 communicate with each other, meaning that information and ideas can spread very quickly.

 This can be both a good and a bad thing.

News nowadays can spread like wildfire, meaning that messages like weather advisories or 

evacuation orders can quickly get to the people that need them, however this also means that

 things like smear campaigns or lies can spread just as quickly. This is especially an issue since

 politicians now have a medium to communicate with other's while avoiding the filters of 

normal media. Which is something "Politicians have long sought to go around" according to

 journalist, Mary Kate Cary.

This might not seem like much of an issue, and to an extent, it's not, but it can be when the

 factor that dictates the popularity of a topic or news story is how attention grabbing it is. 

Meaning that the personality of the author and the controversy behind the topic is more

important than the topic itself. 

A good example of this is Donald Trump. He might not have been everyone's favorite 

candidate

 for president, but he did generate a lot of attention from news stations by saying controversial

 things that not many other people were willing to say. That in return, gave him a lot of attention,

 which is exactly what he wanted.  

This isn't the first time in history media has affected politics. This also happened in the 1920's

 with the invention of the radio and in the 1960's with the invention of television. Both of these

made it easier for politicians to communicate to potential voters. However, this is the first time

 that a new medium can be used effectively and negatively to influence potential voters.

Despite the drawbacks, social media can still have positive impacts. It makes communication

easier than ever and can go as far as to help raise money for charities. Considering the pros and

cons, social media is still an amazing thing to have in our lives.

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 Diversity in a Different Arena

by Ny Asia Rivera

            Diversity-being able to be who you are, your true self. I feel that to being able to accomplish definition

 of diversity I have to b unapologetic and sometimes it is my responsibility to make others aware. I’m getting 

better at making others aware in a more meaningful way and the response I receive from others are more genuine.

 I appreciate wen I am face diversity and the other person is comfortable with privilege, if appropriate.

            At my new employment we serve the seriously mentally ill-SMI in this capacity of world I am able to see

 diversity in many forms. I see diversity in the clients that I serve and my college’s that provide the service in the 

level of our works and in our approaches to the work as we all work together to serve the same purpose, we see a 

collage of success among our clients. As an agency we purpose to strive to be aware of diversity as we serve a 

diverse population. The population we serve is diverse in their needs, abilities, and our approach to meet them 

where they are. It is fulfilling to begin working with a client with no expectations and aware of my biases, to 

ensure that my client receives the fairest process I can provide. We are expected to serve our clients using the

person centered approach, but I find that 

it is extremely important to pay attention to my biases, to insure a unique experience for each of my clients.

            I always keep in mind that my thought, ideas, and opinions are also forms of diversity.

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Body Art

What better way is there to express yourself ?

by Jemiah Chester

  Body art is displayed worldwide. Humans have always used this art to convey messages and deeper meanings.

Getting a tattoo is not the only type of body art by the way, but is the most common. There are so many people

 that get tattoos done that's there is no solid average per year, the percentage just keeps rising. One of the main

 reasons an individual gets a tattoo, is to honor someone that they cared about very much that passed away. An 

average percent of Americans that have a tattoo is 23%. Americans spend more than 1.65 billion dollars on tattoos

 per year. Reasons for people getting tattoos vary. 29% of people say their tattoos makes them feel rebellious,

31% say their tattoo makes them feel more sexy, and 17% of people regret their tattoo. 11% of that 17% are 

planning on getting their tattoo removed. An average of 36% of U.S adults ages 18-25 have at least one tattoo.

 Adults aged 26-40 have an average of 40%. All together there is an average of 45 million individuals with tattoos.

 In the United States there is an average of 21,000 total tattoo parlors. Many individuals happen to be addicted to 

ink, other individuals believe “meaning” is the most important factor of a tattoo. I spoke to both my mom and my 

cousin and they both believe have many tattoos.Both of them explained to me why they got each one.All of their

tattoos had meaning and told a story.

       Body piercings are another type of body art. About 14% of Americans have a piercing, and about 8% have both

 piercings and tattoos. Another common body art that is currently trending is Henna, originating from Asia and the 

Mediterranean region, it is a flowering shrub most commonly used to dye hair and decorate your body with designs. Henna lasts rich and vibrantly in your have for 4-6 weeks. On the skin it lasts 1-3 weeks depending on the quality of the henna and 

how much paste was applied. Many people stated that henna makes them feel “cooler”. 

     If you're an individual that loves to express yourself, why not show it through Body Art ?

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High school stereotypes you don’t ever hear about

RCSD students confess their thoughts about rival schools

Alannah Scardino, RCSD student

            It’s no secret that stereotypes in high school are a problem that can lead to bullying, social dysfunction, 

and in some extreme cases, discrimination. However, there is also a form of stereotyping in high schools 

which affects students district-wide.

Students throughout any school district are conditioned to have certain biases. From the time 

parents of eighth-grade students scout out worthy high schools for their child to high school graduation, 

schools have told their students that they were the best and other schools were insubordinate. Sports 

teams in the district form harsh rivals, schools compete for budgets, and students learn to put their

 school’s interests first. This translates to a variety of stereotypes about every school, specifically in the 

RCSD.

When asked about their own schools, most students had very positive words to describe the

 environment they have been taught in. School of the Arts students (cited anonymously) described 

their school as “creative,” “supportive,” and “diverse.” However, students from East High School, 

Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School, and The Leadership Academy for Young Men have described

 the arts school as “corrupt,” and “conceited.”

School of the Arts students believe that these negative adjectives may stem from School of the

 Arts’ high test scores. “We have the highest scores in the district,” said senior SOTA student Grace 

Conheady. “And while that doesn’t account for everyone’s individual performances I 

can imagine that a lot of [under performing] people just accept that identity without doing anything.”

Similarly, East High School was viewed very positively by its own students, called “developing” and

 “athletic.” However, it was described by other RCSD students as “disorganized” and “ghetto.” 

Senior East student Eric Maldonado associated the negative comments about East with sports rivalries.

 “East has always been the best in sports in the city. We know a lot of people aim to beat us, which 

includes aiming rumors and trash-talk at us.” Senior Kenny Jackson added, “We have a lot to offer,

 we just get the wrong publicity. [No one] focuses on the good we’re doing.”

It is hard to tell where all of these stereotypes begin, though from football games to test scores every 

school in the RCSD has some level of competition with each other. It is important to keep in mind that

 although school pride is an important aspect of high school culture, respecting and accepting other

 schools benefits the entire RCSD atmosphere. 

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Nintendo Switch™ detail revealed and launch lineup confirmed!

Nintendo’s new Handheld-Home console about to launch.

 by Daniel Lampe

The Nintendo Switch™ originally known as “Nintendo NX” got revealed a couple of months ago, showing 

us a little bit of the actual console. The Nintendo Switch is a tablet with detachable controllers that can dock

 with your TV, playing its games anywhere.

On January the 12th at 11pm EST, Nintendo started a Livestream showing us more detail about their newest 

console in Tokyo, Japan. Nintendo told us, that the Nintendo Switch™ will release on March 3rd and will not 

come with a Region Lock which means you can play games outside of their released origin on your console.

 Nintendo also announced, that their Online function will be a paid service starting Fall 2017. You can play any

 Nintendo Switch game on your big-screen TV at home, but why stop there? Pull the Switch out of the docking

 station next to your TV, and you can take that game on the go. The console also has multiple control options, 

being a traditional Controller mode, a handheld mode and a “Wii-Mote” mode all in one. The Controller so-called

 “Joy-Con”, was announced and described in detail by General Producer Yoshiaki Koizumi.

The Nintendo Switch will cost $299,99 in the United States and it will come with the Nintendo Switch tablet, the

 Docking station, 2 Joy-Con Controllers, Controller Straps, HDMI Cables, and Chargers.

You can also buy a traditional style Controller as additional accessories. Nintendo announced a variety of game 

titles coming out for the Nintendo Switch throughout the year, with one of them being “ゼルダの伝説, ブレス オブ ザ ワイルド

 (The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild)”, an open world Sandbox game. Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, 

Skyrim Switch, Dragon Quest Heroes 1+2, Xenoblade 2, 1,2 Switch, ARMS, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and others

 were also announced by Nintendo that night. Speaking of Skyrim. 3rd Party support for the Nintendo Switch

 got increased clearly and Yoshiaki Koizumi announced that over 80 Game titles for the Switch are in the works

 as of right now.

That is all we know about the Nintendo Switch as of right now and I’m excited for it to launch on March 3rd.

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“ Part Time Jobs While in High School”

By Serena Benson on January 13, 2017

“ when i first got my job i was only working days in the weekend and had saturdays free. So my social life

 wasn't really affected because i was used to being at dance for so long. After a while i was working every

 friday i had so in between dancing everyday and work i have minimal time for myself and do chores let alone

have a social life.”  - Claire Foster

“It has partially burned me educationally because you have to devote more time to work than school work on

 the weekend and don't have as much time to study or complete assignments, but socially it has actually 

benefited me because i work with  lot of my close friends that i care alot about.” -Alannah Scardino

As a young adult high school can get tough, there's a lot of pressures and responsibilities as you go into the

 high grades. Some students choose to include having a job as part of their responsibilities through high school.

 Having a job while still in school can become a hard challenge to balance grades a job and a social life which

 are all very valuable to maintain in high school. I asked students who had a job throughout their high school years if having a job during school has affected their social and education. Most said that they had to chose one of the three over 

the other and mostly their social life would suffer.

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MEASURING UP TO AN OLDER SIBLING

By: Mabel Diaz

The pressure of feeling like you will not be in same level as your older sibling is challenging. We tend to

 look up to our older siblings because of what they achieved, because they are more successful than us, but

 truth is that only time will bring you those things that you have wanted, if you work hard and stay dedicated.

We want to hold a degree like our older siblings, and not feel the pressure of waking up to go to school on a 

daily basis.

We want to be able to afford nice things, to have a nice car, to feel independent, to have real friends and be

 able to travel and plan with them like our older siblings. In reality, our siblings have been through what we 

have, maybe worst but “someday we will be successful” like them. Life is about struggling now, so that you will 

be successful in the future, have you ever heard of the phrase, “ There’s light at the end of the tunnel”, life is

 a process where the most important things take time. While we’re growing up we first look up to our parents,

 and then our siblings. We tend to do that because our parents don’t understand things like the younger generation, and then that’s where we start following our older siblings steps, because of the pressure of society, and the pressure at 

home. We feel like we start to feel comfort from our siblings because they are more likely to understand us, and the situations that we go through.

We tend to handle situation like our older siblings have, because to us it seems like that’s the best option, choice, or the right thing to do.

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Local Business shut down due to mice infestation

Bay and Goodman Pizza temporarily closed

by Rose Elliot

Despite the blockbuster film “Ratatouille” romanticizing the appearance of rodents in the kitchen, on January 15th Bay

 and Goodman Pizza was temporarily shut down due to mouse infestation. The owners have hired an exterminator

 who was working to eliminate the mice on Friday evening, the restaurant hopes to re-open Tuesday after a 

re-inspection from the Health Department.

I interviewed a former employee of Bay and Goodman Pizza who wishes to remain anonymous, but was able to 

give us a first hand account of just how bad the mice problem was, “um I was packaging up cookies in the back 

kitchen and I heard a little squeak, and so I look back from behind the big mixer, he ran across from one side of 

the kitchen to the other”. This former employee said they didn’t realize how unhealthy it is for mice to be in the 

kitchen, unaware that mice can carry diseases such as Rat Bite Fever, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), 

and Salmonellosis.

 Many people are unaware of the dangers of having mice in the kitchen, a past customer of Bay and Goodman 

who also wishes to remain anonymous was heard saying “if someone bought me pizza and it happened to be 

from Bay and Goodman, I’d still eat it even after they got shut down, pizza is pizza”.

Bay and Goodman Pizza wasn’t the only place in Rochester to be shut down because of a mice problem this week,

 the downtown Radisson Kitchen was closed by the health department on January 10, 2017 and opened after 

extermination four days later.

In the early 1950’s Bay and Goodman Pizza opened on the corner that bares it’s name. For the past 67 years this 

restaurant has gained popularity that they credit to age old family recipes.

Unfortunately for the owners of this local Rochester business, now located on Winton Road and Browncroft 

Boulevard, these recipes weren’t savory enough to sway the health inspectors eyes from the stow away mice 

living in the walls of their eatery.

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 Future Technology Now

By Zachary Mangiaracina

Future Technology Now

By Zachary Mangiaracina

Technology has exponentially become better. The devices that we use now have gotten more compact whilst becoming more powerful. Phones that used to be the size of a briefcase have shrunken down to be able to fit within our pockets while also having the computing power of a cheaper computer.

A standard that could be used for reference are the computers in any of the computer labs within schools. These computers while not necessarily outdated are lower on the tier list of how well they perform, with that said the new strides in technology have put those computers to shame. The new standard has risen higher than ever, to the point where a laptop has more processing power than all the computers within a computer lab. These new laptops while not being cheap whatsoever starting at $9000 have the highest specifications of any laptop ever made before. The idea that, that much computing power can fit into one mobile device that can be taken anywhere is astonishing.

Just 40-50 years ago computer advancements happened nowhere near the rate at which we move today; Brian Mangiaracina my father who has been in the tech industry for over 20+ years stated “When I got started it was easy to keep up to date with the current tech because we got advancements every now and again. Now it’s hard to keep up due to the increased rate at which people invent new ways to crank out more power out of every device. It amazes me how they never seem to hit a wall when making new technology and how fast it all gets integrated into everyone’s daily life”.

Modern day components are far superior to those of even 5 years ago. What was once held to be the highest tier components have already been replaced with things that are twice to even quadruple the power, and while that doesn’t seem like much it makes a world of difference.

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School Lunches  

The school’s view

By Kiarah Phillips  

American school lunches are not very pleasant to eat at times. Most students do not eat it, according to a survey. While some students do not mind the lunches, others find it disgusting.

The survey proved that most students do not eat school lunches.

While taking the survey, the students and some teachers gave various different answers. “I was sick for a month and couldn’t figure out why,” SOTA librarian Jonathan Kelly said, “Finally I stopped eating lunches at school and felt way better. After researching the ingredients the lunches, I concluded that all the chemicals and preservatives in the food was what made me sick.”

Many students in city schools across America have been blaming Michelle Obama and her ‘healthy’ school lunches for the bad taste of their food. “Too healthy, it takes away from the food.” One Student said.

 In another news article, (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/11/24/students-are-blaming-michelle-obama-for-their-gross-school-lunches/?utm_term=.b6da9d51dff1) Kids used a hashtag, #thanksmichelleobama to thank her for what they thought were disgusting lunches. Will the Lunches get better once Michelle and Obama leave the White house?

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Sibling Rivalry

You Can Pick Your Seat, But Not Your Family

By Jahde Brown

One of the greatest influences in a person's life is the one that a sibling makes. It is the role in the family that develops many of the skills we need in adulthood. Through these early competitions and comparisons we begin to label our self with specific characteristics, such as stubborn, brave, weak, strong, smart, et cetera. It is indeed lucky to have a nurturing brother or sister because they can structure our future relationships with the opposite sex forever, breaking or nurturing marriages for a lifetime. For example, when two first-borns marry, there are high probabilities of conflict possible because they were both raised to take charge and not share responsibilities.

I asked Ameena Brown, a thirteen year-old middle child,what her opinion of older siblings was. “They are very annoying,” she started immediately. “It gets hard to be your own person sometimes, too, because they are always in the way.” It seems that the presence of an older sibling can usually cause one to feel overshadowed and cast into the background. When I asked Brown what she felt was the best way to cope with an older and overbearing sibling, she found herself giving an answer of different tone. “Just remember to be okay with their decisions and show respect to each other… and understand where they’re coming from [when they take over]. A lot times they’re trying to help because they love you.” Brown then said with a smile, “Remember you don’t have to be just like them-- don’t be afraid to do your own thing.”

Making the choice to understand your siblings’ perspectives is one of the highest forms of respect you can ever offer them. While there may come a time when you have to respect them from a distance, your brothers and sisters are some of the greatest teachers you will ever have. The lessons you learn from them now will ensure you and your family can have a lifetime filled with happy memories and peaceful holidays for years to come.

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The problem and the absurdities of the College Admission Process

By Manny Rivera

Instead of preparing students for college or more importantly, for life students spend all of their pre-college years preparing themselves for the moment of admission. College admissions are for admission officers that look at a applicant’s grades,test scores and interest.

At this time of year high school students all across the U.S are applying to colleges. By now students should already be committed to a college, but some students are easily pressured by doing admissions because they feel as if they are not worthy or feel they won't stand out to their dream school that they want to attend.

For high school senior who thinks their future is at stake, applying to college can be incredibly stressful especially the admission process. Colleges are interested in students who will fit into the education offered at their institution. Admission officers clearly see who is a potential applicant and those who are not are rejected from the school.

For the last four years students have been  scrambling to ace AP classes, taking and retaking their SATs or ACTs to get the perfect score they desire. Although these tests try to measure one form of intelligence, even in that role they turn out not to be very good predictors. But it's never enough last year the requirements have changed as they do every year colleges want students to have scores that are impossible to reach.

Today, colleges are relying on standardized test scores when making admissions decisions to a far larger degree than they have in years.  One reason is that the number of applications at most top colleges is soaring.  That’s not because there are more 17/18 year-olds are graduating from high school. It's because more students are each applying to more colleges.  And with little increase in the size of admission staffs at most colleges, schools are using SAT and ACT scores to make a fast, easy cut of the applicant pool.

As students apply and wait upon college letters and have to deal with rejection or, for the lucky ones, the difficulty of deciding where to spend the next four key years. Kristin O'Rourke, a former social worker says “I think it's the lack of control that they have that really makes them feel stressed."

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Homelessness the government’s fault of humans

by Rosalia Rosario

                Homelessness is a situation in which an individual or family lacks permanent housing that has been a problem throughout human history. Widespread in ancient societies, it has become less common in modern times as the overall standard of living has risen. Nevertheless, various physical, economic, social, and political problems continue to disrupt people’s lives and leave many without regular shelter Homelessness in America is horrific. Its percent is about 46.2. Every night there is about 633,782 people living on the street every night? Many people believe that the government causes homelessness; other people believe it is manmade.

The history of homelessness was worse than it is today but we seem to be getting more and more close to that every day. The government has given people an opportunity to get food stamps provide them with welfare and affordable housing. Welfare is many things more than just helping people find a home. Say that you’re a young woman by the age of 18 with one child. You have no job or money no food or a home for you and child the welfare can provide you with a shelter or a hotel for the night and the next morning you would need to go to that building and then they would look through small affordable homes or apartments and when you find one that fits you they would pay for your rent until you get a stable job. The welfare also gives you furniture voucher to help you go and buy cheap nice furniture for your home. This is currently going on now in 2016. Another approach the government took was the National Collation for Homeless Veterans.

There is plenty of common misconceptions about homeless people. One would be they brought the situation to themselves. The other would be that they are all criminal, mentally ill, or lazy and unwilling to work. The reality is that while some homeless people have made bad choices that led to homelessness, it is only one of many causes for their situation. Often it is simply that circumstances thrust them into this state through no fault of their own. While there are some people in life who are unwilling or unable to work, it can be incredibly difficult for a homeless person to get any kind of job. There is no way to contact them, they often lack appropriate clothing or facilities where they can to groom themselves properly, and once someone finds out the applicant is homeless their prejudices kick in and they will not hire them simply because they are homeless. Due to homeless, the average life span of an American is 79 years old. Most men and women suffer from PTSD.

Nevertheless, various physical, economic, social, and political problems continue to disrupt people’s lives and leave many without regular shelter Homelessness in America is horrific. Many people believe that the government causes homelessness; other people believe it’s man made. Governments try to help this situation everyday but there’s more that should be done to it.
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Sister Cities Changing Lives

Rochester Around the World

By: Alyssa Steger

President Dwight David Eisenhower initiated “International Sister Cities of Rochester”(ISCOR), a people-to-people program to encourage Americans to communicate with people around the globe and for communities to bond together by engaging in projects that are mutually beneficial.

The Sister Cities Program was developed in 1956 to enlist hundreds of thousands of volunteer citizen-diplomats in a quest for world peace. Rochester has Sister Cities all over the world such as in Novgorod Russia, Krakow Poland, Caltanissetta Italy, and Rennes France which creates an extremely diverse community.

Recently, the Eastman School of Music held a Russian Friendship concert, honoring the great Veliky Novgorod. Both in the audience and on stage there was a broad range of Americans and Russians. It was very interesting to attend an event in such a small and diverse community. Someone at the concert visiting Rochester from Russia said,  “It was cool to see Americans perform Russian music, and it was cool to see Russians performing here so far from home.” His face lit up with joy, and it was an experience for everyone in attendance. Having sister cities is helping everyone all over the world experience different cultures and feel it from the inside.

The City of Rochester was one of the first cities to develop closer ties with its counterparts abroad when Mayor Peter Barry signed the initial Sister City agreement with Rennes, France, in 1958. International Sister Cities of Rochester and its sister city committees organize and carry out Rochester's Sister Cities Program. Relying on the support of volunteers from throughout the Rochester region, ISCOR promotes international understanding, cooperation, and development through a variety of dynamic exchanges with its sister cities around the globe. ISCOR supports projects which link the sister cities, and serves as an international gateway for economic, cultural, educational, medical, and governmental exchanges between Rochester and its sister cities.

There is an exchange program specifically for Rochester and its counterparts across the world. The Association for Teen-Age Diplomats (ATAD)  is an organization completely run by volunteers, which is affiliated with sister cities everywhere. ATAD is a non-profit organization to encourage and promote understanding, friendship, and goodwill through international exchange between teenage students to and from the City of Rochester. Deniz Akman, an ATAD student from Turkey said "I feel very lucky because now I have...two different lives, a little American accent, a piece of an American heart, a different view of the world and an experience I'll never be able to forget." The program has brought people together, and has served as a cultural exchange.

Not a lot of people know about the sister city program, and say it is affecting only a select few and wish more were benefiting from the diversity the program has to offer. “I don’t know much about them [sister cities] but they do a good job at connecting small groups of people around the world.” said Alannah Scardino. She expressed to me how cool it would be if more people took advantage of these little diverse communities and met new people. Sister cities have created many friendships, and introduced new people, cultures, and experiences to people around the globe.