Ohio State by Amanda Sangalli

I sat in French class and phone started buzzing. I glanced down and saw my mom texted be three times. As I read the messages my heart dropped. "There was a shooter at Ohio State today right across the street from your brothers building." On November 28, a Somali refugee drove their car onto the sidewalk and then proceeded to get out and swing at people with a machete (There was a gun on him but he did not use it). I texted my brother Matt asking if he was okay and what had gone on and he told me he was getting ready to leave for class when he got the lock down alert. Now a days school shootings have become a reoccurring thing for us. From Sandy Hook to Columbine, massive school shoots seem to be happening left and right. As a student, it is unsettling to hear all about all these accounts especially when they happen close to you or by someone you know. Going into school everyday I never have the thought "What if we have a shooter today" and that question should never cross my mind. Terrorism has been presenting itself more frequently and kids growing up now a days are forced to live in fear. These school shootings and attacks are not only scaring kids/ students, it is scaring parents to the point where they don't want their kids to leave the house. My mom now has been on edge about my brother, my sister and I going to school or leaving the house just because of my brother coming so close to experiencing this first hand.  Had this happened a few minutes later, my brother would've been caught between Watts Hall (the engineering building) and the business building where his class was.

Thanksgiving by Nuriel Rozenberg

Thanksgiving just recently passed, but it is clear that most of us want to go back to the four-day food filled weekend we just had. I know a lot of us had the simple struggle of wanting to stay in bed because you are tired, but then getting hungry, so you contemplate the pros and cons of going downstairs. The aroma of delicious food making your mouth water. It was hard for me not to go downstairs especially when my grandma called me her "Official Taste Tester." Once downstairs, I knew I had to start helping set up three tables for all the family that was coming over. This year especially, I heard that a lot of families were trying to skip the political talk and keep a calm environment. My family was one of those families, but when thirty-five people sit at the table with not much to talk about, it became hard to not talk politics. Everyone was mostly in their own conversations until my uncle loudly disagrees with his brother. Then one of my aunts exclaims her reasoning for agreeing. By now, most of my family was listening to the argument. My uncle then shoots up from his seat yelling in his brothers face why he's right and why his brother should agree with him. This triggered his brother to then stand up too and yell back why he's correct. Suddenly, my uncle takes a small piece of turkey and flicks it in his brother's face. The room is dead silent, my grandma looks offended by the actions that my uncle took with the turkey that she made. His brother was about to launch some mashed potatoes into the air until my grandma hits the both of them on the head and yells at them and curses in Arabic. The feud died down and this was definitely not the point and purpose of Thanksgiving. As we all know, the real reason Thanksgiving happened was because of the peace that the Native Americans had with the colonists. That is not completely true either since the colonists not only took their land and invaded their villages. Also, a war was started. The real story that happened was that hundreds of women and children of the Pequot Tribe had gathered for the annual Green Corn Festival. This is similar to our Thanksgiving. The Natives who were sleeping at the time were surrounded by English who were ordered to shoot whoever walked out. Others, who did not go outside were then buried alive. The following day, the governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony declared that a day of Thanks should happen since hundreds of unarmed natives were killed. So, no matter how crazy or bad your Thanksgiving goes, just remember that we are honoring the natives that were caught in the genocide.

Election 2016: Interviews about the weeks after Election Night By: Cameron Riley

I personally know that hearing about this topic now makes people cringe and feel bad but since the most hyped up, mud slinging, protested election probably of all time, people have acted so strangely and unexpectedly. The now President elect Donald Trump won the election by a count of 290 to 232 electoral votes, some argue that the Popular vote should decide who wins the election not how many people represent the state in congress. Nonetheless, Trump won the election and the country didn’t like it. People revolted immediately after the election occurred and sparked a miniature revolution against the President elect. In states such as Oregon, New York and California. I spoke with three people of different ages and demographics, I asked three questions to show people’s views on common events about the revolts, what the election should be decided by and how the election was in one word.

When asked about what the election should be decided by, two of the three decided to have the popular vote decide who the president is. Reasons behind this were like a vote between friends, if 2 voted to go to get hamburgers and 5 others wanted to go get pizza you would go get pizza, not say someone who voted for hamburgers has more friends that her vote counted more. You would go get pizza because more people voted for Pizza. When asked about the protests, all the people agreed that it was fair because we all deserve free speech and if used in such cases like this, it should be used fairly and not abused to hurt others. All of the answers for the election in one word all related to the word Tragic, meaning that the result and what had happened in those weeks leading up were Tragic.

The election was a rough time in America, but everyone’s opinion matters and that is what this exercise was attempting to achieve by using other demographics and different kinds of people to speak about their opinions and use reasoning behind it to speak for others who don’t want to speak about it.

Thanksgiving Thoughts by Mrs. Kopp

To my wonderful students and their families,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love, 

The Kopp Family

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire, 

If you did, what would there be to look forward to? 

Be thankful when you don’t know something 

For it gives you the opportunity to learn. 

Be thankful for the difficult times. 

During those times you grow. 

Be thankful for your limitations 

Because they give you opportunities for improvement. 

Be thankful for each new challenge

 Because it will build your strength and character. 

Be thankful for your mistakes 

They will teach you valuable lessons. 

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary 

Because it means you’ve made a difference. 
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.

 A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.

Author Unknown

A Rainbow of Hope by Mrs. Kopp

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  This year has gone by so quickly that it's hard to believe that the holiday season is about to start again.  During this time of year we all should take a minute to consider all that we have to be thankful for.  I know that my own list is pretty long, but here are few items that make my heart swell:

- I have a loving husband and two amazing children

The Kopp Family
This is in Central Park, NYC

-I get to wake up each day and come to work at a place that makes me so happy.
-I have the most wonderful students this school year (yes, you guys)
-I'm thankful for my weekly kickboxing and spin classes that allow me to decompress
-I'm thankful for books (obviously)
and my list could go on and on and on - I feel very blessed in this life. 

However, this year my family has something very special to be thankful for.  Last week, on November 18th, my new nephew Zachary Joseph was born.  His birth is more than just another baby to love.  He is our rainbow of hope. 

In 2011, my brother, Joe, and his wife, Jill, had their second child, a beautiful baby boy named Joey.  When they were expecting him they found out that he had a very serious heart condition, but they wanted to give him the best chance at life that they could.  Joey was born and then four days later went on to have his first open heart surgery.  After that surgery the doctors were positive, they felt they had fixed his heart issue and that he would live a long and normal life.  We were all thrilled. 

 Unfortunately, as he grew other issues came up.  He went on to have two more open heart surgeries and many, many other procedures.  He spent months at a time in the hospital, but through it all he was a happy little guy.  He would try to keep up with his older sister and big cousins and it was easy for us to forget that he was sick.  Then, in April of 2013, our world fell apart when Joey suddenly passed away.  Our family was left carrying a grief that was and still is so heavy, we often wondered how we'd ever function again.  Joey was only 22 months old when he died and we will spend the rest of our lives wondering who he would have grown up to be.  The pain of losing a child is one that no person should ever have to suffer and I often wondered how my brother and sister-in-law could face each new day without their son.  

My nephew, Joseph Anthony - at about 1 year old 

Joey showing off his scars - happy as always!

So, our family had a decision to make. We could stay in bed and let grief consume us or we could celebrate the wonderful boy that we were given. We took the the more difficult path. We decided to choose joy.  We chose joy for Joey. We started Joey's Warriors, which is a non-profit organization and we work to help other families whose children have CHD (congenital heart defect). Over the last three and a half years we have raised thousands of dollars for CHD awareness, we put a memorial bench at a local playground in Joey's honor, we provide toys for kids in the PICU at the hospital, we donate holiday gifts for two families who have CHD children, and more!  We will always miss Joey and wish he was still with us, but we remember him and honor him through our charity work. 

The doctors determined that Joey's condition was genetic, so my brother and sister-in-law had resigned themselves to the fact that they would not have any more children.  My niece Kylie (Joey's older sister) was healthy and they took comfort in that.  

Then, this past June they told us they were unexpectedly expecting a child and they were very scared.  We were all nervous because we knew that it was possible that this child could also have a heart condition and that thought alone was a lot to bear.  

Babies that are born after a loss are referred to as Rainbow Babies; babies who bring hope after the storm.  Last week, my nephew, Zachary Joseph, came into this world with a full head of hair and a perfectly perfect heart!  We believe that Joey sent him down to all of us to bring us some joy.  He is a miracle baby and our whole family is extra thankful this year for this Rainbow of Hope.  

Zachary Joseph - Our Rainbow of Hope

This was his going home outfit! 

Me with Zachary on the day he was born!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Day in History by Lomaani Ranasinghe

This Day in History…

November 22, 1963

“A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.” -

John F. Kennedy

The political tension during November 1963 was ample. It was just before President John F. Kennedy’s re-election. JFK was traveling the country campaigning for his party. Texas, known for it’s major Republican pull, was unhappy with his presidency. Talk of certain radical groups causing trouble was spread, but nothing out of the ordinary. Ask anybody who lived during the 1960’s, and most (if not all) would agree that November 22, 1963 was the day the world turned upside down. Today in history, the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy was assassinated by the hands of Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, TX.

The day was clear. Only a few remaining rain clouds blocked segments of the blue sky from those who looked. It seemed a day could not be more perfect. And yet once the clock hit 12:30, tragic American history was made. Kennedy, riding with his wife in an open convertible, were seen smiling and waving while driving through their motorcade. As soon as the convertible turned onto Dealey Plaza, two bullets were fired into the Texas air. One bullet hit the president in the head while the other hit Texas governor, John Connally. After being rushed to a nearby hospital, John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead, while Connally was under hospitalization for severe bullet wounds.

Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and murdered in the days following the president’s passing. Many different conspiracy theories are out trying to analyze and figure out the schematics behind Kennedy’s assassination. It was not always clear to historians and detectives the motives and the execution of Oswald’s actions. All these theories, however, still show the bravery and love that Kennedy showed for his country.

The president and the first family were seen as major icons throughout many 1960’s households. The news of his death affected many. His assassination was described as “the shot heard around the world”. Not only did the people of America suffer in grief, but the rest of the world saw him as a good man who wanted to change his country for the better. This day in history was indeed a very sad one. It was and will be remembered for many more years.

Citations:

Kaplan, Fred. "Why The Best Conspiracy Theories About JFK’S Assassination Are 

      Bunk". Slate Magazine. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.

           "The Shot Felt ‘Round The World - Reactions To The JFK Assassination - Association For                 Diplomatic Studies And Training". Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. N.p.,           2016. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.

Poem: The Silent Scream | by Samantha Patino

The Silent Scream

The little boy pulled the covers over his head

As he saw the monsters

He gave out a little shout

But even though he was little he was not a baby

And he was not scared anymore

He locked his closet tight at night

To stop them from crawling out

He blocked the edges of his bed

So nothing would come creeping out

Finally he was peaceful

Falling back asleep

Little did he know

The monsters came crawling, creeping back

And as they reached out their long talons

Pulling the boy away from his world

No one heard him

Crying and screaming for help

Putin's Remarks on the Election / by Thomas Mortillaro

As we all know, Donald J. Trump was recently elected. His soon to be very close friend in foreign policy President Vladimir Putin of Russia stated that "Americans voting for a president on Nov. 8 must realize that they are voting for peace on Planet Earth if they vote for Trump,but if they vote for Hillary, it’s war. It will be a short movie. There will be Hiroshima's and Nagasaki's everywhere.” This quote is a lot less than many thought it was. Putin meant that if Hillary Clinton was to become president instead of Trump, she would start a nuclear war and it would be the end of the United States.
Vladimir Putin uses a nationalist from his country named Zhirinovsky to be portrayed as the "Trump of Russia" to explain Hillary's views on the election. He believed that Hillary "craves power" and that her actions will lead to a nuclear war. He believes in Trump to be a peacemaker in the U.S. and that he could possibly win a Nobel peace prize one day. Zhirinovski also had a remark that “He (Trump) won’t care about Syria, Libya and Iraq and why on earth should America interfere in these countries?” So overall, Putin and Zhirinovsky both fully support Trump and they hope to restore relations between Russia and the  U.S.
Personally, i believe that both Putin and Zhirinovsky went a little overboard when saying that a nuclear war would have occurred if Hillary Clinton was the president. Their statements didn't have much evidence to support their reasoning on the subject. And receiving a Nobel peace prize shortly after winning the presidential election is not easiest prize to obtain.



Citations

Jennings, Daniel. "Putin Ally: Vote For Trump Or Face Nuclear War — 'There Will Be Hiroshima's and Nagasaki's Everywhere'" Off The Grid News. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

Poem- Sophia Oelkers

Padlock Heart

Her heart beat no longer had a rhythm

Two birds of a feather no longer flocked

It abandoned her for it’s next victim

Her shattered heart- now an iron padlock

Suddenly, his hushed presence caught her eye

His hopeful, tender words pacified her

“My darling here is a sholder to cry,

You will seek destined, true love soon, I'm sure.”

She was tense, petrified to love again

For she knew every love typically parts

But now, she felt yearning love- more than friends

He possessed the key to her padlock heart

Stronger than two birds bound to flock as doves.

Little did she know, they found their true loves’.

Skin and Bones and Beauty by Zoe Merold

This is just a thought I’ve had in the past and have wanted to write about. I felt it was a curious concept, and that it was worth sharing.

Why is it that when an animal’s skeleton is outlined in their fur, their skin pulled unnaturally tight over their bones, they are starving, neglected, and suffering, but when a young woman looks the same, she is seen as beautiful, desirable, and even admired?

When an animal is put in that condition, people immediately see it as in need of help. They want to care for it, to take it into their homes, and provide the food the creature is so desperate for. They want to rescue it from its pain. So why don’t people want to do the same for the girls who are in pain? Can they not see the agony they’re in?

Those girls who are visibly weary, who have an ever dullness in their eyes, who look frail enough to be blown away in a breeze, are suffering as well. Their anguish is both mental and physical, as they abuse themselves by filling their minds with hatred towards their bodies, and by emptying their stomachs as much as they can. They may not have been forced into it, but if you look a little further, they really are pushed to be that way. How can they help neglecting their own bodies, when they constantly see how the women who are thin are the ones who are adored, who set the standards for everyone?

These girls are practically indoctrinated to be unsatisfied with their physique. They begin to pinch at their skin and convince themselves that they need to stop eating, in order to lose what they believe is excess weight. They’ll constantly be examining their reflection, projecting how they believe they are overweight into the mirror. Nobody can blame them for this sickness, for how they are mentally inclined to do this to themselves, no matter how much it torments them. They don’t know what else to do, how else to feel beautiful. But how and why do many people fail to see this?

            These girls need help and, believe me, they are all around us. They may not appear to need help as obviously as the starving animals you see photographs, but that doesn’t mean they don’t. They need to realize that beauty is not how much someone weighs, or what their size is. Beauty does not have a set standard anywhere. It is defined differently by everyone, and they need to see that everyone is beautifully different. If you find someone hasn’t figured this out yet, tell them. Help them accept what they look like, and how beautiful they are.

Dylan Mazzella current event

Blog Post: New Zealand Earthquake
    Aside from human impacted events in our world, such as the presidential election, and foreign affairs. There is still the natural effects that the world needs to deal with. In New Zealand, several powerful earthquakes have struck New Zealand's south island. Aside from damage caused directly from the earthquakes, such as building that have fallen, and roads that have split, a tsunami was formed, leaving at least two dead.
Events like this are truly eye opening, showing that natural affairs can be just as deadly if not more deadly than human driven affairs. The election in the United States has been the talk of every News channel and even household conversations, but events like this are where attention needs to be. Individuals need to unify and move past these natural disasters, of course, but first, individuals need to unify and move past human driven topics, not only in the United States, but in all of the rest of the world.

How The Right Music Can Make You a Better Writer- Pat McGurrin

While music makes almost everyone a little emotional, some types of music are better at stimulating the brain's 'creative thinking' than others. This is why choosing the right type of music to listen to can help anyone avoid writers' block.

Firstly, one should avoid listening to any kind of fast lyrical music--especially rap music. When humans hear words quickly, and in succession, the brain's "Broca" area can be overwhelmed, and writers may find it hard to concentrate on the task at hand. This is due to the fact that the Broca region of the brain is responsible for language processing, something obviously important in writing. All of us have found ourselves singing along to our favourite songs, so it is is even better to just not listen to any music with lyrics.

Music also triggers the cerebellum; the brain's control center for rhythm. To avoid overcrowding your brain even more, stay away from that #1 pop tune, or just songs with heavy percussion. Instead, try listening to slow improvised jazz, so that you wont get caught on one single rhythm. 

Music's key also has a great effect on writing, since it sets a mood that the writer will likely reflect. Songs with minor or diminished keys will offer a melancholy mood, while Major and Augmented keys will offer a more joyous mood. Song keys will influence the brain's lymbic system, which is responsible for one's emotions--causing their writing to also be melancholy or joyous.

What did I listen to while writing this?

- "Venus" by Gustav Holst [E Major]:

             -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE6_PacCnRw

- "The Chicken" by Jaco Pastorius [B-Flat Major]

             - :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBvxNhaEvHE

- "Lets Go Away For Awhile" by The Beach Boys [F Major]:

             - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGUdf42jIO4

- "Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys [B-Flat Major]:

             - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYBlfpCVHBo

Citations:

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_processing_in_the_brain

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbic_system

Achilles vs. Agamemnon: A conflict driven by Ego

While ones ego can be associated with self respect and hard work, many link this trait to arrogance and excessive pride. A big ego can be developed in a person, when he/she gets what they want time and time again, with little to no challenge. Force two people with huge ego's to work together, who share different opinions and the results will most likely be catastrophic. This is analogous to the conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon in the Iliad. While they fought for the same cause, they lacked respect for one another and believed themselves greater than their counterpart. This conflict between two men, who had major influences on their soldiers, was a massive problem for the Greek army.

In the Iliad, Agamemnon is portrayed as a greedy leader who used his army to sack cities and showed no mercy to his enemies. His victories and seat upon the throne of the Greek army, made him feel invincible. Achilles, the quick footed soldier who was the mightiest of the Greeks, could not be defeated in battle, he was said to live for war and and took down any opponent that got in his way. The Greek soldiers saw Achilles as their hero and many believed he should lead them in place of Agamemnon. This sparked a great amount of jealousy in the greedy commander and created this bitter rivalry between himself and Achilles.

After a small victory against the Trojans both Achilles and Agamemnon received war prizes from their defeated foes. Agamemnon was given Chryseis and Achilles received Briseis, daughters of wealthy and prominent Trojan nobles. This was a very common practice during that time, the winner of the war was given prizes to show respect. All was well for the Greeks until Chryseis, Agamemnon's prize, prayed to the God Apollo and had a plague spread throughout the Greek army. This crippled their numbers and was devastating to their war effort. In order to release the plague, Agamemnon was forced to release Chryseis and displayed his authority by taking Briseis from Achilles. Achilles was outraged by this move, not only because of his incredibly big ego, but he felt betrayed that his commander would take what was rightfully his. The two exchanged heated words and Achilles stood up for himself and stated he would no longer fight for the Greeks. In fact, he even went as far as to pray to Zeus to curse the army and prevent any further victories, proving his importance to their army. This actually proved to be devastating for the Greeks and they were unable to defeat the Trojans without their most valued warrior. Agamemnon refused to give in to Achilles's proclamation and denied that he had a significant role in the armies defeats. Although the Greeks ended up winning the war, the conflict started by only two men halted their progress and ultimately forced the war to trudge on. If the two had put their egos aside and worked in unison, they most likely would have taken down the Trojans more rapidly, completing their mission and prevented the two from butting heads any more.

 

Written by Nick Matkiwsky

Election Day by Jessica Longstreth

This is the end of the wait,

but uncertainty looms no matter the path.

Today marks the end of this great blood bath.

Is this the end of the hate?

Today we decide our fate.

Will it be enough to heal the divide,

or is it impossible to put our differences aside?

Surely many will be irate.

Who will say "checkmate"?

Will the runner-up be content?

Will they sit there in contempt?

All these questions bear their weight.

At least the end is near for this debate.

For months and months it trudged along,

its angry presence forever prolonged;

always there to frustrate.

How to be a Reader | By Kristine Le

It has been said, time and time again,  that reading is exercise for your brain, it helps to expand your vocabulary, it makes your writing better, it can teach you new things, it keeps the stress levels at bay etc. Those are the obvious reasons for why a person a should be reading because yes-- it’s good for you. However the real question is, why is reading fun? Why do people enjoy reading and how can you learn to do the same? Well, to start off, pick a good book.

First impressions, let’s face it, have a huge impact and can ultimately have you putting off reading other books because the first one you read was downright awful. A good place to find honest reviews on books is on social media such as GoodReads and YouTube. GoodReads offers a place that specializes in providing book recommendations and sincere reviews on 1000s of books. In addition, a unique place to look for book recommendations, that not too many people are familiar with, is on YouTube. The equivalent to a beauty guru in the book world is called a ‘booktuber.’ There are tons of different booktubers with different likes and dislikes, that could easily match  your own, and  could offer you a book that is right up your alley to prevent tarnishing your first impression of books and reading.

After you find something you love, shortly after the realization begins to hit of “how was I able to ever live before I read this book?” If you find yourself at this stage, well, what comes next is the real fun part--talking about the book with others that enjoyed it as well. This is my favorite part about reading because it allows me to fully release all my emotions and thoughts on a book to someone else who can understand where I’m coming from. Finding others who enjoy reading as well, not only makes it more fun but, it motivates you to keep on reading and devouring all the books you have yet to read. It offers a new opportunity to make new friends, maybe even meet your best friend that you never would have known because, you never took the chance to pick up a book.

As you continue to indulge yourself within the reading world, you have now been faced with many different personalities, different cultures, different places etc. Pretty much with every book you open, a different story is presented and it further opens your mind to new, alien things. I believe that this is the most rewarding thing that reading can do for a person, especially during teenage years when most teens have not experienced much and are heavily influenced by the opinions that surround them. By having an open mind, it expands your acceptance to new things, it feeds your curiosity to a whole new level, and brings about unique and interesting viewpoints that not too many people have. For example, I find different cultures utterly fascinating and love meeting new people who come from different places of the world. They are people who think the same way however, from personal experience, I find that most people have tunnel vision and actually refuse to open themselves to foreign things with the reasoning that “it’s weird.” By reading through the eyes of people from a different culture or social class than you it puts a whole new perspective into your mind about how these people live and act, the traditions that they have, and how they are different from you. Having this exposure will most definitely benefit you in the long run because it expands your social standards to accommodate those of other societies as well. In other words, what might seem weird in the eyes of your society could be completely normal in another one.

By this point if you have continued on with your reading life, reading has become an everyday norm and you begin to look forward to the release dates of your favorite authors. Now, all the health benefits take their toll on you and will help keep your mind strong and sharp for the many years of reading to come. And don’t worry, you’ll never run out of books, not even in a million years.

Why Music is Important to Me by Melissa La Fountain

There are times when words just do not suffice for expressing feelings and thoughts. People often turn to music as a way of describing what they feel and who they are, because it seems like it’s easier to understand feelings when they’re described by someone else.

Music is one of the main things that has been helping me through one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with. Seven years ago, my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a degenerative disease that destroys a person’s memory. At first, I didn’t know how to feel. My best friend had started to forget things that he had always known. He forgot who I was, he forgot who my father was...it was unbearable to watch him try to remember certain details about his life that had clearly disappeared. Eventually, his memories weren’t just the only thing that had dissolved. He stopped being “Grandpa,” and slowly became nothing more than a shell of what he used to be. This man, who was once so full of life, had lost almost every aspect of who he was. I was, and still am, utterly heartbroken.

Ed Sheeran is probably my favorite artist. I fell in love with his music after his first album, and have been hooked ever since. Specifically, the song Afire Love is the one I relate to the most. He wrote it about his grandfather, who was also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. There are two sets of lyrics in the song that really hit home for me.

The first lyric is, “Things were all good yesterday / and then the devil took your memory.” Most people with Alzheimer’s have good and bad days. I have experienced multiple instances where there was one day that my grandpa was his old self, laughing and telling jokes and recalling things from his past, but then the next day he would be a shell again. It was as if someone had stolen it away from him.

The second lyric is, “My father told me, son / It’s not his fault he doesn’t know your face.” Probably the hardest thing about my grandfather’s illness was the first time he forgot who I was. It had been a fear of mine since I’d heard of his diagnosis, and when it happened I felt as if I was living in a nightmare and couldn’t wake up. I realized that he couldn’t help it, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

I love music because it reminds me that I am never alone. I didn’t have any friends at the time with grandparents with Alzheimer’s, and I didn’t want to talk to my family about it, so I felt like I was the only one that felt the way I did. Then, I heard that song, and I didn’t feel so alone anymore.

How Donald Trump Contributes to Rape Culture by Sylvia Kloian

Everyone knows Donald Trump; in the face of this election, he has become a household name. And almost everyone knows the allegations against him, and the things he has been quoted on saying, but not many people stop to think how his words affect others. In a world where a woman is raped and the man serves only three months jail time, this topic is much more relevant than you might think. Every 109 seconds, somebody is sexually assaulted. And 7% of those people were at their school at the time(s) of the assault. That might not seem like a large percentage, but just one person being sexually assaulted is already too many.
So how does this relate to Donald Trump? A recording released from a conversation between Billy Bush and Donald Trump in 2005 puts Trump on the record saying, "I’ve got to use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful—I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. I just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything…Grab them by the p**sy … You can do anything." This quote alone is startling, but what Trump has said about it after the release is even more unsettling. Trump has put this quote down as simply "locker room talk", and has said that they are "just words". He said that these are "just things that people say".
These words are dangerous. Trump basically admitted that he sexually assaults women, but then  again,  "everyone" says that, right? He is normalizing his actions, making it seem like his words are something you would hear mixed in with the camaraderie of the "locker room". But Trump was not in a locker room; he was in a trailer on set for an interview. And so many others who speak this way are not in the locker room, they are on the streets, or in their houses, or at a restaurant.
Trump's attitude is comparable to the "boys will be boys" outlook. It is sentences like these that make victims believe that it is their fault that they were assaulted. It is sentences like these that leaves a rapist with little guilt. It is sentences like these that bring us one step closer to completely accepting rape as an every-day occurrence instead of a heinous crime.
One might be saying, "But Donald Trump said this back in 2005. Can you really be judging him on a quote from 11 years ago?". This quote isn't the last instance of Trump making sexist and offensive comments. In a 2013 tweet, Trump commented on sexual assault in the military, saying "26,000 unreported sexual assults [sic] in the military-only 238 convictions. What did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together?". Think about those words. Trump is saying that one can expect nothing less if you put men and women together, that sexual assault is normal, so why would someone expect for it to not happen? This is exactly what someone means when they say "rape culture"! By insinuating that people can't control themselves, and that the only way to stop sexual assault is to keep men and women separate, is to say that it is human nature to take advantage of someone. It is not. Or at least is shouldn't be.
Every time someone says something sexist or demeaning, we get farther away from an assault-free future. It is a basic right to be able to walk down the street without fearing an assault, but when Trump and people like him are still out there, saying these kinds of things, they are making it seem like that if an assault were to happen, it would be okay. This mindset is outdated. We must rise above negative comments and victim-shaming if we are ever to live in a rape-free world. And a rape-free world is one that is worth fighting for.

Citations
"Scope of the Problem: Statistics | RAINN." Scope of the Problem: Statistics | RAINN. RAINN, 2016. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.

Mahdawi, Arwa. "This Is What Rape Culture Looks like – in the Words of Donald Trump." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 15 Sept. 2016. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. 

Creepy Myths about NJ by Rebecca Greenberg

For the past few weeks, our class has been studying and reading myths. I saw it only fit to research some interesting legends and myths about good old New Jersey.

The dictionary definition of a myth is- A myth is a legendary or a traditional story that usually concerns an event, or a hero, with or without using factual or real explanations, particularly one concerning with demigods or deities, and describes some rites, practices and natural phenomenon.

However based on the following stories, I think everyone can come to their own individual terms on what a myth really is.

The Myth of the New Jersey Devil
     A storm was raging that night in 1735, when Mother Leeds was brought to bed in childbirth. The room was full of woman folk gathered to help her, more out of curiosity than good will. They had all heard the rumors that Mother Leeds was involved in witchcraft, and had sworn she would give birth to a devil.  
Tension mounted when at last the baby arrived.  It was a relief (and to some a disappointment), when the baby was born completely normal.  But a few moments later, before their terrified eyes, the child began to change. The room erupted with screams as the child grew at an enormous rate, becoming taller than a man and changing into a beast which resembled a dragon, with a head like a horse, a snake-like body and bat's wings.
As soon as it was full-grown, the monster began beating all the woman (including his mother) with its thick, forked tail. With a harsh cry, it flew through the chimney and vanished into the storm.
The Monster of Leeds, or the Jersey Devil as he was later called, still haunts the pines of New Jersey, wrecking havoc upon farmer's crops and livestock, poisoning pools and creeks, and appearing on the New Jersey shore just before a ship wreck

Legends of the Blue Hole
One of the most storied sites in all of southern New Jersey is a mysterious body of water known as the Blue Hole.  Located deep in the Pine Barrens of Winslow, on the border of Camden and Gloucester Counties, this small but legendary pool is said to not only be bottomless, but also a frequent pit stop of the Jersey Devil.
Though its icy blue-tinged water might seem inviting, especially on a hot summer day, locals warn their children to stay away from the Blue Hole and to never go swimming there.  Tales of unexplained whirlpools which suck down hapless swimmers have long been part of the Hole’s lore.  Some who have been lucky enough to escape its clutches have claimed that they actually felt something, perhaps the Jersey Devil himself, pulling them down into the chilly depths.

For more interesting NJ myths and legends, click the link below!

http://weirdnj.com/

Aphrodite- By: Brianna Falco

Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love and Beauty according to Hesiod's Theogony. Aphrodite had a few main titles such as Lady of Cythera or Lady of Cyprus. She was born in the foam of the waters on the island Cyprus. Supposedly, she rose from the foam when the Titan Cronus slew his father Uranus and threw his genitals into the sea. Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Dione, in the Iliad. Aphrodite was the most beautiful goddess. Many Gods even believed their own rivalry over Aphrodite would cause chaos and war. She married Hephaestus. He was not seen as a threat because of his ugliness, so Zeus married Aphrodite to him. However, Aphrodite had many lovers including Gods and men.

Later, Aphrodite was both Adonis's lover and surrogate mother. Aphrodite had many children including ,Eros, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, Pothos, Anteros, Himeros, Hermaphroditos, Rhode, Eryx, Peitho, Eunomia, The Graces, Priapus, Aeneas and Tyche (possibly).
Some more interesting facts about Aphrodite is that her symbols are a dolphin, rose, scallop shell, myrtle, dove, sparrow, girdle, mirror, and swan.
Furthermore, Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena were the top three contenders for a gold apple marked “For the Fairest.” Zeus was asked to judge this contest, but he refused. Paris judged the contest and all three of these Goddesses promised him something in return. Aphrodite was crowned winner.  As we read in the Iliad, she fought on the side of Paris, the Trojan side in the Trojan War. She even rescued him from Menelaus.
I enjoy imaging Aphrodite in my head. Aphrodite looks different in all the drawings and paintings of her.  She is described as so beautiful and "Fairest", I wish I could see her through my own eyes.