News & Features

Minecraft Comes Back to Dethrone Fortnite

About 10 years ago, the worldwide renowned game, Minecraft, was released by Mojang, on May 17, 2009. The game was such a hit because of all the creativity that Microsoft bought Mojang for 2.5 billion dollars in 2014. However, Minecraft started losing players and Youtubers in 2017. That year, a game called Fortnite, a battle royale game was released. The battle royale was a very creative game, unlike anything else seen before. The game attracted so many players because of how unique it was. In Fortnite, you could build walls, ramps, floors, pyramids, etc. This was the first battle royale game with a building feature. The game was more kid-friendly, excluding blood from the game. Fortnite was also free, which cut out the price factor and decision making for the parents spending money on the game. The game continued to be an extremely successful game.  Starting in 2019, Fortnite also…


What Plans Do People Have For This Summer?

As the summer approaches I thought it would be nice to see what people have planned. Are they excited? Are they traveling? Are they seeing relatives? So I interviewed a few faculty members and a student, asking them, simply, “what plans do you have?” Here are the results.   Mrs. EB (History Teacher) So this summer I’ll actually be working at a summer camp all summer in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It’s a Jewish summer camp and I’m one of the camp moms so I check in with people, make sure they’re okay. I check in with the parents, make sure they’re okay without their kids at home and so in general, I take care of people and enjoy the outdoors.   Timia Jones ‘25 I’m going to go to Vegas and spend summer with my aunt and my uncle and my cousins because I don’t really see them often.   Ms….


NASA Announcement: We’re Going Again, But It’s Different This Time

On May 15, 2019, NASA released a YouTube video. The video directly stated that the human race was going to the moon by 2024 if not before. There were many challenges they stated such as radiation and engineers capabilities that could be overcome. Then they introduced the S.L.S. (Space Launch System), a system consisting of a rocket so powerful it could bring heavy payloads off Earth, so more technology, supplies, spacecrafts, and rations could be brought into Earth’s orbit and to the moon. A new capsule, the ORION was also mentioned. Then the biggest surprise was revealed, GATEWAY, a lunar outpost in the sliver of space in between Earth’s and the Moon’s gravity. This is where ships will dock and transition to make it easier to land on the Moon. From where it sits, GATEWAY will be able to launch missions to Mars. 50 years later, we are returning to…


How To Throw A Curveball

Most of us know the pitch “curveball” in baseball. But, how does it work? Why does it actually curve the way it does? First of all, it depends on the arm the pitch is thrown with. If it is thrown with the left arm, it will move towards a right-handed batter, away from a left-handed batter. If it is thrown with the right hand, it will move towards a left-handed batter, and away from a right-handed batter. The spin determines why a curveball moves though.  As it travels through the air, the spin makes the ball disturb the air around it. The spin causes air on one side of the ball to move faster than the other, resulting in uneven pressure on the ball, making it curve. You also have to do a maneuver called “whipping your arm.” To whip your arm, you have to flick your arm in a…


Huawei: Big Controversy or Small Hoax?

Recently the phone company Huawei has been under fire for relations with the Chinese government. Huawei created software for their phones that are to be sold all over the world, but they have a very strong link with the Chinese government. The US government reacted very strongly to this, saying that they do not want the Chinese government spying on US citizens using their phones. The software that they were making was actually a brand-new Operating System. You may know how Apple phones have iOS, and Samsung phones use Android, along with many other phones. Huawei wanted to make their own OS so that they could compete more with iOS and Android. So far this case has gone very far in that Google has cut off future updates for Huawei phones using the Android OS. Huawei has responded by denying any ties with China. USA president Donald Trump has banned…


How Will The Universe End?

There are many theories regarding how the universe will die. The most widely accepted of these theories is called “Heat Death.” Heat Death is the result of the death of stars; stars like our sun are slowly using up the fuel stored inside of them and eventually this fuel will run out. When this happens, the star stops producing heat and light, resulting in a frozen and dark Earth. We will most likely be dead long before this happens. The sun is increasing in brightness by about 10% every billion years. This will result in the Earth eventually becoming too hot for anything to live. The oceans will boil, and water will no longer exist in liquid form. We could theoretically survive this by moving to a planet farther from the sun, but that would only last until the sun becomes a Red Giant. A Red Giant is what the…


Mercedes and the Future of Self-Driving Cars

Uber is buying over 10,000 self driving Uber cars from Mercedes. This would help prevent car accidents made by humans because the robots are more accurate. “In fact, we turned out to be great partners,” Uber founder Travis Kalanick told The Verge. “By opening up the Uber platform to Daimler, we can get to the future faster than going it alone. It’s a future in which our cities and roads will be safer, cleaner and more accessible, and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s next.”   The car has a luxury interior with the following: a wooden floor, a TV screen, lots of LED lights, and comfy seating. The car has a sensor that detects anything in front of it that is within a certain distance of the car. The car is great for people who do not trust humans driving. Personally, I think the car is amazing. Here is…


Interpol’s “A Fine Mess” EP: What is it and is it good?

This article will contain two parts. Part one will be informative, will cover speculation and will also cover first impressions on the two teaser tracks “The Weekend” and “Fine Mess”. Part one will also be written before the rest of the EP has been released while part two will be a full review of the five-track EP.   Part One: The Singles In preparation for the release of the EP Interpol has dropped two singles, “The Weekend” and “Fine Mess”. “Fine Mess” was the first of the two which hit Spotify and other outlets on Jan 30, 2019, with “The Weekend” being released on March 28. Both of these singles fall into the signature Interpol genre of highly instrumental indie rock/post-punk with great, abstract lyricism. As expected, the returning members for the recording of the EP consist of, the starter of the band, Daniel Kessler on lead guitar, the vocalist/rhythm…


Areoflot Sukohi Superjet 100 Crash

On May 5, 2019, a Sukhoi Superjet 100 operated by Russia’s Aeroflot burst into flames on impact with the runway. 41 people were confirmed dead. The plane took off from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport for Murmansk, Russia. On the initial climb, the plane was struck by lightning and requested a return to the airport. The controllers cleared the plane for an emergency landing. The plane circled the airport twice before initiating the final approach. The plane landed hard and the tail section promptly burst into flames. This most likely happened because the skin of the airplane was still electrically charged when the plane landed. This happened because when the electricity had a path to the ground, it passed the metal fuel tanks and ignited the fuel. The plane then skidded down the runway and spun 165 degrees. Emergency slides extended but for several seconds no one got out. This is peculiar…


Tolkein Movie Shows Horrors of War

The Tolkien movie is based on of the life of the great author J.R.R Tolkien and his experiences that led him to write the Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit. It is a mix of real life and fantasy. It describes his formative years leading up to his involvement in World War One. He died in 1973, coincidentally the same year as Pablo Picasso. It describes his friendship with C.S Lewis, the author of The Chronicles Of Narnia. It also shows his experience at war and it blends fantasy elements into the real world battles, like dragons bellowing fire, knights in armor, and orcs. This movie gives a new deep understanding of his life as a whole. J.R.R Tolkien said that he gained the inspiration for his books from going to war in World War One and the horrors that accompanied it. I am hoping to watch this movie…


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