Daily Archives: October 7, 2013

Grand Theft Auto 5 Sales Going Through the Roof!

In just three days Grand theft Auto sales break a record making a billion dollar in gains from mostly teenagers. Grand Theft Auto made 1 billion in three days which took Call of Duty: Black Ops 15 days to make. Grand Theft Auto 5 takes place in Los Santos and San Andreas. There are 3 main characters Trevor Phillips, Michael, and Franklin. They are each criminals and are forced to work together in a series of missions.

This game is rated M for mature meaning 17+ yet a lot of their earnings come from the parents of 12 year olds and older.  Grand theft Auto 5  includes a torture scene and you can even run over and shoot innocent people. It also promotes drugs and alcohol. I have an older brother who is 13 and yet most of his friends own Grand Theft Auto. However it is the parents choice whether to get the Grand Theft Auto for their child or not. What about the kids who go over someones house and play it. I think its totally unacceptable for a 12 year old kid to play this kind of game. It might even influence their choices in life. The fact that makes it worse is that you are killing innocent people at least in war games you’re protecting your country and not just taking lives freely. I don’t think a game like this should be on the market and if you are enjoying killing people even if it is game then that’s a problem.

~Hailey

Not 1 or 2 But 103!

You may think that it is hard to run a few miles or go to a sports practice for a couple hours, but think about this; swimming 103 miles with only stopping briefly for food breaks. Well, 64-year-old endurance swimmer Diana Nyad did just that. But she didn’t do it with just one try. It took five attempts to swim all the way from Cuba to the Florida Keys and she did it without any shark cage or other protection. Diana’s first try was in 1987 and she was only 28 years old, but she didn’t make it all the way. After that she decided to take a break and no one thought she would swim a route like that again. But, in 2011 she was 60 and decided it was time to try again. Sadly she did not make it because of a shoulder injury but that wasn’t going to stop her. She got back in the water a month later but got stung by a jellyfish and couldn’t continue. For her fourth try in 2012, she almost made it but couldn’t go on when she got attacked by another jellyfish and a bad storm passed by. Diana clearly didn’t give up because on Saturday, September 1st, Diana started her journey for the 5th time and she finished it in 52 hours and 54 minutes. She had a bad sunburn and was a little dazed but she didn’t stop, and the support from her team of 35 members really helped.

Personally, I do not swim as my main sport so only swimming a few miles sounds long to me, but swimming 103 miles almost seems impossible. You would have to be very dedicated, prepared, and focused to accomplish something like this, and Diana was. At first, I wondered why anyone would want to swim 103 miles straight without stopping. But then I realized the Diana wanted to accomplish something that others might call impossible. She wanted to get her point across that it is possible and after hard work and many tries, she did it. Also, Diana must  have had to be very brave because she swam without any shark cage or other protection so if anything occurred, she wouldn’t have had the proper equipment to keep her safe. Overall, I think Diana Nyad is a very brave, dedicated, and inspirational woman and is a role model to many.

~Jillian

Snow Storm Nemo: February 16, 2013

    Some people call it the blizzard of 2013. Being the first Nor’easter of this winter, snowstorm Nemo was the largest storm residents in the Northeast have seen in a long time. Some states received more than two feet of snow and schools were closed for several days. The roads were a narrow as most driveways. Bulldozers were on the sides of main roads attempting to widen them. Some effects of the storm included driving bans, power outages, or even flooding. Even now, over a week after the storm hit, people are still shoveling their sidewalks, driveways, roofs, porches, and decks. Plows are still clearing roads. Nemo left a big mess that everyone is still trying to clean up.

     If  anyone is looking for a better way to keep your family and house safe during the next big storm we have, here’s some advice. 1) You should try to keep up with the snow. For example every two hours you can go outside and shovel everything off. This way you won’t have to deal with so much snow at once. 2) Make sure you shovel your roofs. So much snow sitting on your roof will weigh a lot. The roof can cave in under that much stress. I would suggest purchasing a roof rake to help get the snow off your roof. 3) Lastly, to avoid flooding, you should should shovel out the snow from around where the gutters drain the water. If you don’t do this the water will get trapped and seep through the ground into your basement. I hope these tips help for the next storm.

~Nick

Horrible Kenyan Mall Shooting!

People have died in the nations’ capital of Nairobi, Kenya after a major mall shooting on Saturday September 21, 2013.  The group known as Al-Shabaab took over Westgate Mall and randomly killed people.  Unfortunately, Kenyan men, women, and children have been innocently shot and killed in this awful take over of the mall.  People are still missing under the collapsed building and 67 people have been confirmed dead. A widely popular radio show host, Ruhila Adatia-Sood and her unborn child were killed in this shooting. Many viewers of the radio show, Radio Africa, are grieving for her and her family. The wait for the other victims is still so unbearable for the community. To read more on this event, please click on this link.

This situation at the Westgate Mall was horrible and dreadful.  It was a really bad moment in time.This group, Al-Shabaab is very evil and cruel. I feel really bad for all the families and friends of the people who died in this tragic shooting. The children whose parents died are never going to have the same life. It would be super difficult for me to go on in life with one parent.  Life for the people of Nairobi, Kenya now will be very difficult.

~Rachel

Government Shutdown

 

Today, October 1st, the U.S. government is shut down because it was not carrying out the functions of a proper government. The reason for the shutdown is because the government was not passing spending bills that fund the government. The House of Republicans suggested that Obamacare should have a reduced fund from the government but the Democrats want the exact opposite. Also, the democrats say that “the law will expand access to health care and help rein in the rising costs of coverage. Obamacare prevents those with pre-existing medical conditions from being denied health insurance.”

This made me think that the Democrats have better thoughts about this shutdown. Also, I don’t really understand why the government is shut down because if it wasn’t functioning why it’s supposed to then they should have fixed the issues earlier. Additionally, I think this shutdown is a problem because people have lost their jobs and some aren’t getting paid. However, Obamacare is well needed to help people that are in need of  health insurance.

~Giuliana

Is The iPhone 5c Really Worth It?

The iPhone 5c is the newest member of the iPhone family! It is just like the iPhone 5, but now, it’s colored! The iPhone 5c is made out of brightly colored plastic, and a glass screen. Compared to the other iPhones, the 5c is very inexpensive. When the iPhone 4s went up for sale it had a starting price of $199, while the 5c has a starting price of $99! That’s a $100 difference! Many people love their 5c, but many other people are complaining that it is much more fragile than the other iPhones. They say that the glass and the plastic break very easily. Even if they are fragile, the bright colors are amazing! The 5c comes in white, black, blue, green, pink, and yellow. I would get the blue

I believe that the 5c is worth it. Even though it is fragile, you can always get a case. You could also be more careful with the phone. The colors just make me like it even more! Iphones have never let you have colors besides white and black before. Now with the 5c you can get a phone that can represent you a little more than it could before. If I could I would definitely invest in an iPhone.

~Emily

What is Up With the iPhone 5S?

The iPhone 5s was released on Friday, September 20, 2013. The prices for this phone are, $199 for a 16GB, $299 for a 32GB, and $399 for a 64GB. You can choose either AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon for a service. It also comes with ios 7 fully installed to the latest update. The 5S has a fingerprint scanner as well. The scanner can be used to replace your number or complicated passcode to get into your Phone.

Personally, I think the iPhone 5S seems like a great phone to have. The part that doesn’t have me going, “I need to have that,” is the fingerprint scanner. It seems like a cool add on, but I don’t see a use for it. Currently, I don’t even have a passcode on my iPad mini. Other people might like it, but like I said, I do not. The price for the phone makes me want to get it really bad. I think $199 for a 16GB iPhone in a good deal. When the IPhone 5 came out  the $199 price was for an 8GB. That’s all I’ve got to say. What do you think of this phone and will you get it?

~Andrew

Military Action Against Syria: Is It Necessary?

President Obama surprises the United States when he announced that he requires the approval from Congress that he wants to put military force against Syria. The reason for this military force, if you do not know, is to rejoinder against the chemical attack in Syria that killed over a thousand people. President Obama says that a failure to respond “could lead to escalating use of chemical weapons of their proliferation to terrorist groups who would do our people harm. In a world with many dangers, this menace must be confronted.”  Three days later, on September 4th, The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee votes to authorize military action in Syria. Obama then tries to retrieve support for the attack, but the public and Congress show reluctance for the military action.

I, myself, believe that we should take action against this. It may not seem necessary for us to do it, because it’s not our country, but who else will do it? We need someone to cleanse the world of chemical weapons, and we’re the the country that is going to do it. Seriously, how could we just watch Syria slowly get destroyed? I believe that this military action is necessary, even though it may not seem fit.

~Ryan

Deadly Rampage at U.S. Navy Yard

 

On September 16, 2013, Aaron Alexis, a former member of the Navy, killed 12 and injured 8 people at the Washington Navy Yard. Aaron had been employed at the base by a military subcontractor, was killed in a shootout with police. It was believed that he gained access to the secure facility from the ID of a 50 year-old former Navy Yard employee, however he was also working as an IT company worker that was upgrading the Navy’s computer systems. D.C. authorities did not suspect terrorism, but his motive still remains a mystery. At first, officials believed that two people were involved in the shooting, Aaron Alexis and a white man in a tan outfit. Later they found out that the man they believed to have been involved, was identified and was no longer a suspect. Not all of the 8 people that were injured were shot, some were just injured when fleeing the scene. Some say this will bring back the discussion of gun laws and how we should make them a national matter.

The issue of gun violence in the U.S. has caused the strengthening of gun laws. Mayor Vincent Gray of Washington D.C., joined President Barack Obama in the fight to tighten gun laws due to the recent shootings. Many people think Obama is to blame for the shootings and that these shootings could have been prevented if we didn’t have such weak gun laws. Others say that we need national gun laws. I agree with those people because obviously local gun laws will not work when you could just go to another jurisdiction to buy a gun. If we had national gun laws, maybe this shooting, along with others could have been prevented. For example, after a mass murder in Australia, the Australian government passed strict gun laws. Since then, there has not been another mass murder. In the U.S., we have one shooting after another. Will they ever end?

~Alyssa

The Pool Solution? A Tension Membrane Structure

 

On January 11, 2013, a massive blizzard swept our area causing a lot of damage.  Trees and power lines fell down giving us no power, but at the Cheshire Pool, located at 520 South Main Street, something more serious happened. The enormous bubble that keeps the pool enclosed for the winter couldn’t take all the pressure of the snow on top, which caused it to deflate and collapse.  Then, as if this wasn’t enough, the poles used by the swim team created a fifty foot hole in the bubble, erasing all hope for the bubble to be repaired.  Many months have resulted  in trying to find a new fixture to cover the pool.  Since this is the second time the bubble over the pool has collapsed, the town thought it was time to find a more permanent solution to the problem.  The current  end result was a tension membrane structure which will cost 3.2 million dollars.

As a swimmer myself, and although I don’t swim at the Cheshire Pool, I can see how disappointing this must be to all the swimmers that swim there.  Now, as the winter is just around the corner, the water is getting colder which means the Cheshire Pool must be closed.  Since there is no bubble to keep the warm air in the pool, the swimmers have to drive to another pool in the area to get their practice in.  This means the swimmers are up later at night driving to and from practice, where it would be so much easier if it were right in Cheshire.  In addition, the final solution for the pool will take a very long time to construct, and might not be ready until next year.  Although the process will take a long time, the end result will definitely be a satisfaction.

~Elli