2015 Tusker Tribune USE THIS ONE.pub

Transcription

Produced by
the student
reporters of
Somers Middle
School.
The Tusker Tribune
Volume 1, Issue 1
Fall 2015
Staff:
The SMS Chocolate Milk Debate
By Jordan Han
Rebekah
Goldstein
Jor-
dan
Han
Nitin
Seshadri
The gig is up.
What do people think of
the chocolate milk in the
cafeteria? Some people
say it is healthy and is
great for school but others
think that it isn’t healthy
enough to be in the cafeteria and should be prohibited. But we want to
ask you what you think
about it. Do you think that
it is unhealthy or do you
think that chocolate milk
should be given a chance?
Let’s see our results.
I had asked Rebekah Goldstein in 6th
grade,”What do you think
of the chocolate milk in
the cafeteria? Do you
think it is healthy or that it
shouldn’t be in the lunch
menu at all?”
This is the reply I
got; “Even though it is
very sweet, and can be
mildly addic ve, you
would be surprised to see
the nutri on label. It really isn’t that good for you.”
I asked the same
thing to Mr. Pappas,
who is a teacher.
This is the reply
I got.”Absolutely. We
have to give kids variety.”
I had asked some
other students and most
replied that it should be in
the cafeteria lunch menu.
They say this because it is
pre y healthy and a lot of
students love the chocolate taste.
Most people voted yes it should be in the
cafeteria while some did
say that it might not be
the healthiest lunch
choice especially if you
drink too much of it.
But almost all the
students
love the
choice of
chocolate
milk!
Evan
Meet The Tusker Tribune Staff!!!!
Volkman
Aiden
Tulchin
Advisor:
These people are Rebekah
Goldstein, Evan Volkman, Nitin
Seshadri, Jordan Han, Cole Willman,
Jake Reidl, and Aiden Tulchin.There
are a lot of things going around in this
school so these students will be sure to
give you the inside scoop, and tell you
all about them. The newspaper club
puts a lot of effort into these magnifi-
cent news stories. So start reading!There will probably be an article
that will get you hooked.
These students all have different personalities so you’re bound to fix your
eyes on some great stories that they
have made. So make sure you’re reading this year’s Somers Middle School
newspaper--The Tusker Tribune!
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)
Page 2
The Tusker Tribune
LEGO Robots Gaining Lots of Interest
in
half
an
hour.
The
brick
By Nitin Seshadri
Everyone likes robots, don’t
they?
LEGO has inspired many
people to use their crea vity to build
awesome things. The LEGO Mindstorms Robo cs Kit is one of those
game-changer sets. Robots wouldn’t
be as easy to build or program without its crea on. Let’s take a look into
its origins.
It all started in the 1990s,
when students from MIT created the
first programmable brick, or the
brain of a robot. A er lots of experimenta on, they sold their design to
LEGO, and it became the first Mindstorms, the RCX, released in 1998.
RCX stood for
Robo c
Command
eXplorers.
The RCX was a huge success! It had both sensors
and motors, which was
premium at the me. It
stemmed many expansion
kits, such as the SpyBots
expansion kit and the Educa on expansion kit. It
introduced the concept of
block-based programming, called Robolab,
which was much easier
than typing endless lines
of code. The RCX brick had
a seemingly microscopic
screen with 4 small
bu ons, and could display
few things. One special thing about
it was that each unit had a number
imprinted on it in large, bold numbers on the front. The first one ever
produced, numbered 00001, was put
on display at a museum. The second
was be numbered 00002 and so on.
Next, in 2006, came the NXT,
or
NeXT-Genera on.
The NXT was a huge redesign
from its RCX counterpart. Its brick
had an actual LCD
screen and control pad, which
meant you could
display words on
the screen, or
program bu ons
to do different
opera ons. Programming was
ever easier. The
block-based programming so ware, Robolab,
was improved to
create NXT-G 1.0.
Now, even a completely new person could get up
and running with-
LEGO has
inspired many
people to use
their
crea vity to
build
awesome
things.
could even do math! (Yes, it possibly
could do your math homework :P)
Then, in 2009, came the NXT
2.0. It came with new sensors, new
parts, and NXT-G was updated to
NXT-G 2.0, which added support for
the NXT 2.0 kits. Everything else,
however, stayed the same.
Then, in September 2013,
came the EV3. EV3 was another major improvement over the NXT. NXTG became EV3-G (Duh!). The sensors
were improved and more powerful
and a new, compact type of motor
was produced. The new brick was
technically a fully func oning minicomputer (with internet, too)! EV3
stood for
EVolu on
Genera on 3.
To this day, Mindstorms sets
have been the basis for many things,
including a Rubiks cube solver, a sudoku solver, and a robot that does
the homework! (Wouldn’t you want
that robot?)
Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 3
Angle Fly Preserve + SMS
Students = ?
By Nitin Seshadri
Quick math
ques on: Angle Fly Preserve +
SMS = ?
I’m guessing you don’t know
the answer (yet).
Angle Fly Preserve is a
great place to go hiking and
enjoy nature. It’s one of the
few places where endangered
species like
monarch
bu erflies live
Angle Fly in their natural
Preserve is habitats, uninterrupted by
a great
human ac vity.
place to go But there’s work
hiking and to be done to
keep it like this.
enjoy
nature. . . That’s where you
at SMS come in.
But there’s By helping plant
work to be organisms that
done to
a ract the enkeep it like dangered species
and ge ng rid of
this.
bad ones, you are
helping the preserve. For example, I par cipated in the recent
bu erfly garden plan ng and believe me, it was tons of fun! The
process of events went as follows:
I come in, and I am greeted by
Mrs. Antonucci (6th grade Social
Studies teacher)!
The Angle fly preserve lady
shows me to the area I can
start plan ng, and off I go!
 I planted plants. (Duh!)
 It’s that simple! Even by
plan ng a few plants for a
bu erfly garden, you are helping in a small way.
 Parents and kids alike might
ask “Why would I go there?”.
Here’s why:
 It is fun!
Parents like this part: It is
educa onal! That’s because you

learn about new plants, such as
sneezeweed (it doesn’t make you
sneeze) and milkweed (it doesn’t
make milk)

 You’ll feel good because
you helped with something
important.

Now can you answer that
ques on? Angle Fly Preserve +
You = ?
.
Page 4
The Tusker Tribune
Could Percy Harvin Reinspire the Jets?
By Aiden Tulchin
Percy Harvin is 5’11’’. He
has 22 receptions for 133 yards.
He most recently went to the Jets
on Oct 19, 2o14. He ran kick from
the 45 to the Denver Broncos
end-zone.
This was in Super Bowl
XLVIII,[48]. He only played one
game for the Seahawks last year,
but he was the x-factor of that
game. In the Super Bowl he returned the opening kickoff of the
second half 87 yards for a touch-
down. Long-story
short, when Percy
Harvin is healthy,
watch out, he will
go animal. He is a
new “weapon” for
Geno Smith.
I am sure
he will have a huge
impact on the Jets
record this year.
Geno Smith and
Percy will have
tough times. Percy
might argue little
with the coaches
and the Geno. Overall, Percy is one of the
only good choice the Jets
have made since Santo-
How ‘Bout Them Knicks!!!!
Now the Knicks head coach is
Derek Fisher. The Knicks home
court is in Madison Square Garden,
The New York Knicks are also known known as MSG. The
off to a bad start losing to the Bulls, Knicks are 3rd in the Atlantic divi104-80. Carmelo Anthony the
sion, and 6th in the Eastern ConferKnicks SF has 22,086 points in his ence. As of right now, the Knicks
career. What I know, I will predict will make the playoffs because they
that the knicks will go 45 and 37
are in the top 8 teams in the Eastern
for this 2014-2015 NBA season.
Conference. They Knicks drafted
The Knicks were founded in 1946. Wichita State SF Cleanthony Early.
By Aiden Tulchin
He has shoot and rebound. J.R.
Smith only 7.5 points per game this
season. He needs to hit more treys
and get 15 points per game. Carmelo Anthony has 19.6 points per
game this season. He needs to be
getting 29 points per game. If the
Knicks scpre more and play better
defense, they will be a NBA championship contender team.
Eagles are Flying High!
ble just awful Jet is now on the Eagles and doing
great. Mark’s favorite target is reciever
The Philadelphia Eagles are the
number 18 Jeremy Maclin. Mark
third best team in the NFL right behind
Sanchez is going to be the starting
the Arizona and the New England PatriQuarterback for the Eagles until they
ots. The Eagles just recently at the start
either make the playoffs or when their
of the season gave up DeSean Jackson to
season is done. Nick Foles might come
the Washington Redskins. The Eagles are curback if the Eagles make the Playoffs. They have
rently 6 and 2. The most recent news is that
a good shot at making the playoffs to going 6
Nick Foles had broken his Collarbone. Guess
and 2. If they keep up the pace and win more
who’s going in for him. Mark Sanchez. The terrigames, they have a shot at not only making the
By Aiden Tulchin and Evan Volkman
Page 5
The Tusker Tribune
NBA Preview!
Cleveland
Cavaliers
Preview!
By Evan Volkman
Here are some cool links to the
NBA news:
By Evan Volkman
http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3
A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnbapreview-teams-division-201415&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHM
T4badi8CmgiaaS0-mB2_haTEzQ
The Cavaliers have new everything for the 2014-15 season. The
best group of NBA players have
come to play for Cleveland. With
Kevin Love and LeBron James having a amazing ability to score and
http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2F2014%2F10%2F28%2Fnba-preview-biggest-que
rebound, this team is looking good
lebron-james-backcourt-predictions&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHLNPOPx6RCPiPLI5beKGr-ayx4gg
for the 2014-15
season. Kyrie,
LeBron, and
Kevin were some of the top scorers in the league last year, so all
http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nba.com%2Fnews%2F%3Fls%3Diref%3Anba%3Agnav&sa=D&snt
of their numbers will probably go
QjCNEWnkmCtLE8T5GmjYLns30a-D36Og
down a few
points per
game. They
have a new
http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fhangtime.blogs.nba.com%2F%3Fls%3Diref%3Anba%3Agnav&sa=D&sn
coach, and
FQjCNE3PXz4Xyqs5X7Sw80PXj52z3N1Jg
arguably 2 of
the best players in the
league.
Here are the projected division
winners:
Atlantic-Toronto Raptors
Central-Cavaliers
Southeast-Wizards
Southwest-Spurs
Northwest-Thunder
Pacific-Clippers
Page 6
The Tusker Tribune
The Broncos—An Analysis
By Evan Volkman
Evan Volkman: Alright, so Peyton
Manning threw his 509th career
touchdown pass on Sunday to Demaryius Thomas. His production
has been lower than usual. Do you
think it is because of new Emmanuel Sanders?
Zane Bramson: It could be that or
the defense this season on the other
teams could be a variable.
Evan Volkman: Well, Peyton Manning has thrown 1,848 yards and
19 TDs so far. Von Miller has 8.0
sacks this season, how many do you
think he’ll have at the end of the
season?
Zane Bramson:Well if Von Miller
has that many in about 6 games
probably in 16 games 16.0.
EV: The defense is solid this season. The Broncos offense is still
dominating and the defense is
even better. Do you see the
Broncos as potential Super Bowl
champions?
ZB: Yes I do, maybe even some
rookies can be in the Hall of
Fame even tho that is far away
for example Emmanuel Sanders.
EV: In the offseason, the Broncos
signed 3 major players. With Emmanuel Sanders leading the team
with 35 receptions and DeMarcus
Ware 2nd in the league in sacks and
Aqib Talib dominating, how well do
you think this Broncos defense can
be at full potential?
ZB: Well one they probably can go
undefeated and cream the Seahawks by 40 or more. Maybe even
win the Super Bowl a few times.
EV: Peyton said he might retire if
the Broncos win the Super Bowl this
year. If so, they’ll probably draft a
quarterback. Probably either Marcus Mariota(Oregon) or Nick Marshall(Auburn). In your opinion who
would be the better choice?
A Q&A with about one
of the stronger teams
in the NFL this season.
ZB: Well I don’t know the stats of
them but maybe Nick Marshall
since I think he is better.
EV: Julius Thomas has 9 receiving
touchdowns so far this year. How
many do you think he’ll end the year
with?
ZB: He has been doing good this
EV: Julius Thomas is pacing 24 but
it is quite possible that he’ll get 28.
The Broncos are playing the
Chargers in a Thursday Night Football showdown on Oct.
23rd. What do you think the outcome of the game will be scored
wise? Like 43-24 Broncos.
ZB: The Chargers have been playing
phenomenal this season but the
Broncos have been playing a little
bit better so the game will be close I
think the score will be 45-43 Broncos because they have been playing
better.
EV: The Chargers has been
unstoppable lately. Between
Antonio Gates and Keenan
Allen, Philip Rivers has
thrown 717 yards to them.
Similar to the Broncos, Demaryius Thomas and Julius
Thomas have a combined
966 yards and 15 TD catches
this season. What do think
their numbers will be at the
end of the regular season?
ZB: It depends on if he keeps
on throwing to them each
game so maybe all combined
1800 yards to 1900 yards.
EV: With a projected 13-3 record,
what do you think their chances of
being Super Bowl champs are?
ZB: The Broncos will probably make it to the playoffs. It
also depends on how well
they play in the playoffs.
EV: Final question, when did
you start being a Broncos fan
and why?
ZB: I have been a Broncos
fan since 3rd grade because I
saw them playing and I was
immediately attached.
season in my opinion he could have
18 through 20 at the end of the season but if they make it to the Super
Bowl in my opinion 28.
Page 7
The Tusker Tribune
Hedgehogs Can Be a Unique Experience
By Kim Schupp
SOMERS, NY- 1/28/09- - Want a pet that
will wow your family and
friends? A hedgehog might
be for you! Sure they’re not
a typical pet, but they can be
pretty decent for some people.
Hedgehogs are
pretty easy and low maintenance pets, aside from
keeping them clean. With a
lot of patience, hedgehogs
can be trained to go to the
bathroom in one place instead of crapping all over the
place the second they calm
down. Twice a week, the
cage has to be cleaned or it will start
smelling horribly. Feeding might also be a
turn off for some people. Hedgehogs
mostly eat worms and crickets, which
many people don’t like to deal with. Fortunately, these critters can be substituted
with other food such as peaches, shrimp,
bananas, nuts, and hedgehog kibble.
Many people see a hedgehog
and think, “what the hell am I supposed to
do with that?!” Since they’re very timid,
they curl up in a ball, point their spikes
out, and hiss for protection. This way of
protection often confuses and even frightens people. After a while, they calm down,
uncurl, flatten their spikes and show their
‘so ugly, it’s cute’ face.
My hedgehog, Jojo, stays in a
cage like hamsters and rabbits filled with
newspapers or woodchips. The first owner
of our hedgehog got her at Animal Kingdom in Brewster, NY. That is where we
usually get her worms, crickets, and
hedgehog food. The purple wheel that she
runs around on at night also came from
there. They’re cutting down on hedgehog
supplies because they’re not such popular
pets, so we occasionally go to Petland in
Danbury.
Hedgehogs have some odd habits. Many of them are African, so they like
warm climates and are nocturnal. They
will come out if they’re disturbed in the
day, but most of the time, they sleep in the
day time and run around at night. They
also enjoy swimming if the water’s warm
enough. One of their weirdest habits is
spitting. To get accustomed to a new
Many people see a hedgehog and
think, “what the hell am I supposed
to do with that?!”
scent or to camouflage, they lick or bite
wherever the scent is coming from and
spit it all over themselves. This process is
called “self anointing”.
My three years with a hedgehog,
named Jojo, have been very unique. My
family knew nothing about having a
hedgehog. The first day, we tried to get
her to uncurl and show her
face so we could hold her without a towel. After about 45
minutes, she uncurled. We let
her run around the living room
and she was climbing all over
us. I smelled something funny
and I looked down. She had
pooped in my hair and in the
rug. It was so gross. I had no
idea that they did that. I
thought since the previous
owner let her sleep with him
and run around his room, that
she would wait until she was in
her cage to take a crap, but I
guess not! They just wait ‘til
they calm down and uncurl.
Over the summer, we put her
in a little dog pen outside and
let her run around in the grass. My dog
was very confused and curious, and
pricked her nose on her a few times.
The previous owners of my
hedgehog were my neighbors, the Burns.
Their son Derrick used to let her sleep in
his bed and wander around the house. I
don’t know how their house is still sanitary
because we can’t even hold her without
her pooping everywhere. One time, they
couldn’t find her for a week, and when
Mrs. Burns was vacuuming, Jojo appeared out from under Derrick’s bed. For
some strange reason, a vacuum calms
Jojo down and makes her feel comfortable, so she usually uncurls right away or
comes out from hiding. Once Derrick decided to move to Hawaii, his parents didn’t
want her any more, so we took her. The
first few hours, she was very shy and
seemed kind of depressed, but she
warmed up to us after some time.
Hedgehogs can be great or horrible pets, but will always give the owner a
unique experience.
Page 8
The Tusker Tribune
Reflections of Home-Schooled Students
By Lisa Lopane
SOMERS, NY—2/6/09—Home
schooling is a powerful way of learning at
home taught by parents or private tutors.
Many who are not home schooled are
uneducated about the definition of home
schooling. Here is some of the questions
you might be thinking about, “When you
are home schooled, how do you make
friends?”, or “How does you mom teach
you?”, or “How do you take tests?” Some
of these questions however I find to be
quite absurd and humored. I am glad however to educate people who are just
guessing wrong or absurd thoughts about
home schooling.
I, myself was home schooled
from the age of a young toddler
to fifth grade. I loved it and enjoyed it a lot! When you are
home schooled there are different teaching hours in a day.
Sometimes if I or my mom happened to be very busy we would
carry on our lessons later or earlier in the day. In regular or catholic
schools you have to spend an equal
amount of time on each subject. However
in home school if you need to take note to
a certain subject that you might need to
spend more time with you can so you can
get the topic very well. Also when I was
home schooled what I would learn in regular school I could be taught in, for instance
three hours in a day or less because the
teacher does not have to be worrying
about twenty or more kids and if they are
getting the topic. When I was home
schooled my mom was my teacher. I enjoyed her teaching me through out the
day.
I and my mom decided to home
school when I was young. Not only did I
love to be home schooled around the people I love but I also did acting and modeling and had to be available during the
day. In a regular school it is harder to be
taken out in the middle of the day, in
home school we could stop and when we
returned just follow up with our lesson. I
loved traveling to the city and attending
modeling and acting calls with my mom
and sisters! I will never forget it.
Agnate I stated in my opening
paragraph how some might ask how I
made friends while I was being home
schooled was very easy. First of all I and
my family were and still are very close. I
also used to attend COOP it is a facility of
kids whom are home schooled. Once or
twice a month I and my family attended.
COOP has classes with normal subjects
in them with normal kids; except the work
was a lot more hands on. I also used to
take field trips that I will never forget about!
Our curriculum was
based on work sent in from
Christian Liberty Academy. It
is a school located in Arlington Heights Illinois. I and my
family visited this beautiful
facility when I was younger. It is a huge
campus. The grades are k-12. They would
send in work in the mail that my mom
would teach me and my sisters. We did all
the usual topics in school and also we
were taught about religion.
My mom would make learning
fast and fun! I had my own desk where I
did my school work. People were very
interested that we even had a editor of a
newspaper come to our house and take
photographs and talked with us and our
mom to see what we were learning and
how we were taught. Our picture landed
up in the newspaper. Every year we would
have a home school graduation, where all
the home scholars attended to graduate
to their following year. We looked forward
to this because we were presented pride
and accomplishment along with being
aloud to perform either in a speech or
doing a special talent we had. I remember
one year I performed a song that I wrote
to my mom, called “Mem You Are My All
IN All”. Another year my and my sisters
performed a piece of dancing with point
shoes on and my younger sister dancing
with ballet shoes on. When I was younger
I was also involved with many sports, like
I am now. Throughout my whole life I will
never forget the home school graduations
and when I would get all dressed up and
prepare for this wonderful night. I was
grown up to believe that no dream is to
big to accomplish. We were also taught to
be very strong and be a leader not a follower. A saying I love to live by is … “Who
ever said the sky is the limit is wrong, I am
reaching the stars and universe!” I was
placed with dreams in my head which I
know I am going to accomplish.
I am so very happy I was home
schooled and would not have it any other
way. I loved the way school everyday
would change. Sometimes I could even
do me school work in a peaceful place. If
you believe a child being home schooled
is unfortunate because they would not
have a chance of making friends, you are
very much wrong. In home school like I
have already stated you make friends that
can relate to you. You get to go to graduations every year and have parties as a
celebration. You also get a lot of time with
your family, which most children and
teens in the United States need. If I could
go back in time and choose between
home school or regular school I would
indeed pick home school when I was
younger. Don’t get me wrong, I love my
friends from normal school as well but
home school is a special place for education and to chase your dreams!
In addition I believe I am a very
good example of a home schooled child
going into public school and being very
social and making friends with everyone,
also being very good in sport teams and
education!
Page 9
The Tusker Tribune
Hendrix’s Legacy Lives On Long After Death
By Matthew Chiriboga
SOMERS, NY—2/6/09—Johnny
Allen Hendrix, Born November 27, 1942,
Seattle Washington, USA died September
18, 1970 in London England aged 27. He
was one of the most famous guitarists
ever. He was associated with acts such
as The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rainbow, Band of Gypsies, Gypsy sun, The
Isley brothers, Little Richard, Curtis
knights and the squires. He was inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and
The UK Music Hall of Fame. He is also
part of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and
Rolling Stone named Jimi their number
one guitarist in the 100 Greatest Guitarist
of all Time.
His father was in the army and
stationed in Oklahoma. When Jimi’s father, James Allen “AI” Hendrix, got out of
the army he changed Jimi’s name to
James Marshall Hendrix after his dead
brother Leon Marshall Hendrix. AI reunited with Jimi’s mother Lucille Hendrix née
Jeter. Jimi had two brothers Leon and
Joseph and to sisters
Kathy and Pamela.
Jimi’s parents divorced
when he was nine. His
mother died in 1958.
Jimi grew up in an unusual household for an
African American his
age. He got his first
acoustic guitar for $5.
Jimi picked up the guitar very quickly. He
practiced constantly,
got tips from other
more experienced players, listening to records, and watching
others.
Jimi’s dad
bought him his first
Jimi’s most famous band was the
electric guitar, a Supro Ozark. Jimi
learned all of his stage moves like playing Jimi Hendrix experience. They made
with his teeth and behind his back from a about four different albums not counting
fellow band member
greatest hits albums,
in music class in
Are You Experischool. When he He is known as one of the enced, Axis: Bold as
was a kid Jimi played
most innovative guitar Love, Eclectic Ladyin a few
land, The Cry of
players of all time.
local
Love (unfinished)
bands
not counting greatwith his friends. The first band
est hits albums. He is known as one of
he played with was unnamed
the most innovative guitar players of all
and he played with them in the
basement of a synagogue, he time. He was a great “front man” and
was fired in between sets for many of his unique songs and styles of
too much wild playing and playing are recreated today. Probably his
showing off. His next band he most famous and recreated experience
joined was The Velvetones was at Woodstock playing the Star Spanwho played regularly without gled Banner, he also played with his
pay. He then joined the Rock- teeth, behind his back. My favorite act
ing Kings who played profes- that he did was burning his guitar. He did
sionally and got played. Jimi many great advances is showman ship
graduated from middle school, and guitar techniques. His is one of the
but never graduated from high best guitarists that ever lived and I think
school.
that he will live on in history
Page 10
The Tusker Tribune
Jonas Brothers Thrive on Success
By Melissa Barcia
SOMERS, NY—1/28/09--Do you
want to hear about the Jonas Brothers
and what they like to do? Read and learn
about their hobbies and interesting facts
about them.
Right here, put in a brief description of who they are . . . “The Jonas Brothers is a band, consisting of three brothers,
that . . . .”
Nick Jonas is known as the cute
and sensitive one. He plays guitar and
owns eight of them. Nick’s secret is that
he is not only good at guitar, but secretly
likes to play the drums. Something else
surprising about Nick is that he enjoys
playing golf on his free time. Nick is the
youngest out of the brothers in his band,
but not the youngest in the family. He has
a younger brother, Frankie, who is 8 years
old. Frankie admitted that he likes Nick
the best out of his other brothers because
he is the nicest to him and helps him.
Some basic facts about Nick are
that he has brown hair and brown eyes.
His favorite subject is spelling and his
favorite science subject is geology. Nick
has one more interesting, yet tragic fact in
his life. Nick Jonas has diabetes. But, not
just any kind of diabetes, Type One diabetes. He had symptoms of always being
thirsty and losing weight. He lost 15
pounds in 2-3 weeks. He found out he had
diabetes in 2005 while he was on tour.
That is when he had an emotional breakdown. He captured the moment and took
it as a chance to help people with diabetes and help them conquer it. He went to a
diabetes center. When he and others
there were asked to raise their hands if
they had diabetes, he raised his hand and
that was the first time he had confessed to
the public that he was diabetic. Nick Jonas is an inspiration and role model for
kids with diabetes. He teaches them that
being diabetics doesn’t stop him from doing something he loves.
Another brother in the band is
Joe. What can I say about Joe? He is the
lead singer of the band and is known as
the funny one. One thing you might have
different opinions about is the way Joe
broke up with Taylor Swift recently. They
were going out for a few months and he
broke up with her on the phone. But that’s
not even the worst part. He told her in 2730 seconds and then hung up. A 30 second break up conversation? It was bad
enough he called her to do it, but not even
giving her the time to say anything. Word
has it that Joe broke up with Taylor for
Camilla Belle, a dancer that starred in his
music video “Love Bug”, and they have
been spending a lot of time together.
Taylor says that if Camilla hadn’t
The Jonas Brothers’ main
message to me was that they love
each other and they couldn’t be at
the point they are at right now
unless they had each other.
played in his music video, “Love Bug”,
they would have never met, and Taylor
and Joe would still be together. Well,
enough about Taylor and Joe. How about
his relationship with his brothers? Joe
loves his brothers and has a very close
relationship with them. Joe said, “If a girl
didn’t like my brothers, I would probably
be like ‘peace’. My brothers are my boys.”
That really shows how close they are, not
only as brothers, but as friends. One time,
Nick felt ill because of his diabetes while
on stage and Joe found a way to distract
the audience by talking while Nick ran off
stage. Joe found a way to help Nick out
so he didn’t have to ruin the show or be
embarrassed.
Some interesting facts about Joe
is that he has five guitars and one other
hobby--he enjoys watching is pro wrestling. Joe also loves the song “Crank That”
by Soulja Boy and his favorite song from
their album, A little bit longer is “Pushing
Me Away.” One fact that I felt is very interesting about Joe is that when he was
younger, he never dreamed of singing. As
a child, being a professional singer was
never on his mind. Joe has an interesting
life and adores his family.
Kevin, the oldest of the Jonas
brothers, is awesome because he loves
and appreciates all of his fans. He also
plays guitar and owns 12. Kevin’s favorite
subject is social studies and his favorite
science subjects are chemistry and physical science. Did you know he became
home schooled after sophomore year?
One interesting fact about him is that he is
good at skateboarding; his hidden talent is
that he is good at ping-pong. His favorite
song is “Burning Up” from the album A
little bit longer. Like Nick and Joe, Kevin
adores his brothers. He said “I am very
proud of my brothers … I’m really inspired
by their talent.” There is not much to say
about Kevin except that he is a cute, respectful guy who loves his fans.
The Jonas Brothers’ main message to me was that they love each other
and they couldn’t be at the point they are
at right now unless they had each other.
Something about me is that I never really
liked the Jonas brothers, but, now after
reading and researching about them, I
have found out for the most part they are
sweet guys.
Page 11
The Tusker Tribune
The Controversial Idea of 2012: End of the World
By Sabrina Martinez
SOMERS, NY—1.23.09—So
many different cultures and religions believe that there is an end of times. Unfortunately, a good significant few believe
that that time is in the year 2012, right
around the corner for our generation. In
fact, it’s been predicted that the exact
date of the end of times is 12.21.12, the
same date as a cataclysmic effect, an
alignment caused by the sun and the
galaxy (our galaxy is a spiral, and as the
sun is going to align with it, the sun is
going to appear at the very center).
What’s really gonna happen?
There’s a lot of controversy
about the year 2012. The more rational
thinking people probably believe it’s all a
lot of hype and BS. Wanna know the more
popular thought? END OF THE WORLD.
It would be perfectly alright if you
are scared; it’s not as if you can pack up
and leave. Where would you go? It is,
after all, the end of the WORLD.
Besides, there are so many cultures and people thinking the same pessimistic thoughts. Could they possibly have
all gone to the same Doomsday lecture?
Think again.
Nostradamus, an astronomer,
studied medicine, and most probably was
an alchemist, he made many predictions
of the future, in a time when people like
him were burned at the stake, or hanged
for treason against the Crown. His recently found predictions and drawings have
been coded, with much use of symbols
and metaphors. Some have even been
proven true. “Not all Nostradamus predictions can be proven but some seem to be
tied to events in the past such as the fearsome reign of Adolph Hitler and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.” (askAlana.com)
Another rather bloody society is
the Mayans, a people obsessive in their
star gazing, calendars and most of all,
their prophecies. The Mayans used the
cycles of the sun, and moon, and the rotation of the stars to create a calendar so
accurate and precise, they were more on
time than we are. Using their amazing
calendar, they predicted that there would
be a time when the sun would have three
eclipses--all in a single year. A solar
eclipse, an eclipse between the sun and
Venus, and, extraordinarily, a cataclysmic
effect that happens once every 26,000
years: the alignment between the sun and
the galaxy.
But they were not alone in thinking that the alignment was significant. The
Chinese I-Ching (which is like a mathematical chart first used by the Chinese)
also predicted the alignment using math.
So too have the Hopi Indians, a group of
Native Americans in the Southwest. They
have a sacred rock upon which they have
all their most sacred predictions. One of
the most interesting ones happens to be
that around 12.21.12 our world, which
they consider the 4th world, will be the last
world, 12.21.12. They believed that one of
their kachima gods would come down
from the heavens and dance when the
end was near.
As it happens, there aren’t any
dancing gods yet, but could it be that all
these people who thought alignment was
key to the end of the world really be on to
something? Isn’t it strange that they all
predict that it’s going to be happening
around our time? And you have to understand, these people were hundreds of
miles apart, hundreds of years apart, and
how would they possibly understand each
other if they don’t all speak the same lingo?
While the alignment might not be
the end of the world, it might just be the
cause of it. In fact, the last 26,000 years
ago, it was the end of the Ice Age. Could
there be a connection between that and
global warming? Some scientists believe
that global warming will reach its peak
around December of 2012. Others believe
that that the poles (magnetic north, magnetic south), which are due for a shift, will
cause some pandemonium. “The Earth’s
magnetic field, our primary defense
against harmful solar radiation, has begun
to dwindle, with cracks comparable in
scale to the ozone hole opening up randomly. A pole shift, in which such protection falls nearly to zero as the North and
South magnetic poles reverse position,
may well be under way,” (Joeseph, Lawrence.)
Also, according to Lawrence, the
“Yellowstone supervolcano, which erupts
catastrophically every 600,000 to 700,000
years, is preparing to blow. The most recent eruption of comparable magnitude, at
Lake Toba, Indonesia, 74,000 years ago,
led to the death of more than 90% of the
world’s population at the time.”
The really scary thing is if it all happens simultaneously. It seems that the
earth is going through a large amount of
change. On the one hand, change is
something that a healthy planet should
do. But while it may be healthy for the
planet, it may just be the end of us all.
Page 12
The Tusker Tribune
New York Jets Look Beyond
Disappointing 2008-2009 Season
By Sam Poritzky
SOMERS, NY—1/28/09--This
was one rollercoaster ride of a season for
the Jets. In the beginning of the year,
many Jets fans were rejoicing over the
addition of the veteran quarterback Brett
Farve. After
being the star
quarterback for
the Green Bay
Packers for 15
years, he lead
the Packers to 7
division championships, 2 NFC
championships,
and one Super
Bowl championship. Many Jets fans hoped that Brett
would be the quarterback who would bring
the Jets to the Super Bowl.
The Jets’ season got off
to a slow start. After the first four games,
their record was 2-2, beating Miami and
Arizona while losing to New England and
San Diego. A win against Cincinnati and
a loss against Oakland gave them a 3-3
record, which helped start a turnaround in
the Jets’ favor.
The Jets then went on a
five-game winning streak. During this
streak, Jets fans were going
crazy with excitement! Some
fans were even talking about
the Jets going to the Super
Bowl. The Jets players were
having a good time as well. But
like most streaks do, they end.
The Jets lost to Denver 34 to
17 in week 13. This was on
November 30th.
On November 30th,
2008, the Jets season took a
turn for the worst! The Jets lost
their next two games to Denver
and San Francisco, two games
they SHOULD HAVE WON!
The reason they should have won is because, they had a lot better team and record. The Jets than ended up lost two of
their next three games. This down part of
the season caused Jets fans to hang their
heads in sorrow.
Because of that down part, the
Jets fell short of making the playoffs. During the last week of the season, the Jets
did have a small chance to make it to the
playoffs. The Jets needed either New
England to lose to Buffalo or Baltimore to
lose to Jacksonville. Additionally, the Jets
needed to win against Miami. But things
just weren’t going right for the Jets because the Jets lost to Miami and New
England, and Baltimore won. Many people
couldn’t believe that the Jets could go on
a five-game winning streak and NOT
MAKE IT TO THE PLAYOFFS! The Jets
had the momentum to go far but fell short.
The Jets fell short for a couple of
reasons, I think one reasons were the Jets
got cocky and they thought they couldn’t
lose. Another reason the head coach Eric
Mangini, one of his worst calls was in
week sixteen. The Jets were playing the
Seattle Seahawks and they were losing
10 to 3 and it was 4th and 4 with 2 minutes
and 16 seconds left. Instead of punting
and letting your defense try and stop the
Seahawks from moving the ball. He
chooses to throw on 4th down, and the
My prediction to the Jets season next
year depends on Brett Farve.
Because of Brett’s age of 39, he is
thinking about retiring.
pass was incomplete and the Seahawks
got amazing field position. After the season was over he was fired as the head
coach of the Jets.
My prediction to the Jets season
next year depends on Brett Farve. Because of Brett’s age of 39, he is thinking
about retiring. I think if he plays next year
for the Jets, they will have a pretty good
season. I think it will be 11 and 5. But if
Brett doesn’t come back, I think the Jets
will struggle to get a good quarterback
and will have a record of 8 and 8.
Page 13
The Tusker Tribune
Polar Bears Need Your Help to Survive!
By Samantha Scoca
SOMERS, NY—1/29/09--Polar
Bears are losing their natural habitats
because
global warming is melting their
homes. If
this gets
worse, it
might happen to us.
Polar bears have the biggest population
in Antarctica. This whole continent is made of ice and snow
and is surrounded by freezing
cold water. So Antarctica is
pretty much a giant glacier.
The bears’ fur and blubber
keeps them warm in
these freezing conditions. Other countries
that polar bears live in are the
US (Alaska), the Arctic, Canada, Russia, Denmark (Greenland) and Norway.
All of these countries have banned hunting them or established rules for how
many polar bears can be hunted. There
are still 25,000-40,000 polar bears living in
the Arctic.
Polar
bears are the
worlds largest
predators. The
female bears
usually only
have two cubs
when their four
or five. The
cubs live in
caves dug in
snow drifts until
the spring.
When cubs are born they are the size of a
large mouse and are only a little more
than a pound. A cub can grow to its full
size by the time they turn one. Their full
grown size is ten feet when they stand
and over 1,400 pounds. They usually live
up to twenty-five years old.
The polar bears only predators
are Orca whales and humans. Cubs usually don’t live past three because they die
of starvation. Some bears die during the
summer because of human oil spills. The
polar bears eat seals. They often rest in a
seal breathing hole in the ice while they
wait for the seals to come. Once the seal
comes the bear springs out of the ice.
Sometimes the bear stalks its prey. It may
see a seal lying near a seal hole and
slowly walk toward it and then
charge it.
Their
fur is not white.
Each hair is a
clear hollow tube.
The bears only look
white because of the
way the
sun shines on them.
When the sun
is shining their fur traps
the infrared heat and it keeps the bear 98
degrees warm. Their fur is also oily and
water repellent. They have wide front
paws with slightly webbed toes that help
them swim. They
paddle with their
front feet and steer
with their hind feet.
Their paw pads
have a rough surface to prevent
them from slipping
on the ice. Their
only predators are
Orca Whales and
humans.
die.
Not
just
the
polar
bears
will be
affected by
this;
many
other
animals will, too. Once the fish start to die,
the population will go down, and they will
eventually die off. Then, when the polar
bears run out of food, they will die off, too.
"Swimming 100 miles is definitely
a big deal for a polar bear, especially a fat
one," says Dr. Ian Stirling of the Canadian
Wildlife Service. Yes, polar bears can
swim, but not that far. Plus, all the close
land is too hot for the polar bears to live.
Until we help, these bears will be stranded
alone on ice to die.
If humans use less electricity and
gas, we can help save the polar bears. If
we stop polluting, global warming will slow
down and give everything time to adjust to
the new temperatures.
Help the polar bears and stop
global warming, because this could happen to you!
To find food, these bears go fishing. If the water gets polluted, the fish will
Page 14
The Tusker Tribune
‘Dimebag’ Darrell Rewrites
The Book on Guitar Playing
By Sean Jennings
SOMERS, NY—1/28/09--Darrell
Lance Abbott, also known as “Dimebag
Darrell”, was a former guitarist for the
bands Pantera, Rebel Meets Rebel and
Damage Plan. He was born on August
20th, 1966 in Arlington Texas. He died on
December 8th 2004 in Columbus Ohio. He
died onstage at a Damageplan concert
when a mentally ill ex-marine shot him in
the back of the head five times. Dimebag
died instantly.
Growing
up as a
child,
Dimebag
was highly
influenced
by the
band
KISS and
their guitarist, Ace
Frehley.
He also
became a
member of the KISS army which is the fan
club of KISS who followed them around at
all of there concerts and dressed like
KISS . He started to play guitar in his early
teens, winning many local guitar competitions. In one of the contests, he won his
first Dean guitar. Coincidently, his dad had
bought him a Dean cherry burst finish
guitar the day before that contest. Later
on in his life Dimebag was sponsored by
Dean and had many signature models like
the Dean razorback and the Dean Dimebag.
Dimebag and his brother Vincent
“Vinnie” Paul Abbott formed Pantera in
1981. Dimebag’s brother Vinnie played
the drums and Dimebag played the lead
guitar. Pantera first started off as a glam
metal band, but in the late 80’s, they started to become more influenced by thrash
metal bands like Metallica, Megadeth and
Exodus, and also some other metal bands
like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. In
the 90’s, Pantera started to suffer from
building tensions between band members,
primarily due to lead singer Phil Anselmo’s heavy drug use. Dimebag was also
an avid alcohol consumer. His favorite
drink was his “creation” called “Black tooth
grin”. The drink consists of one shot of
crown royal whiskey and a splash of coke
to darken the whiskey. That’s were the
drink got its name. In 2003, Pantera officially broke up.
After Dimebag’s death,
artists such as Buckethead,
Nickelback, Avenged
Sevenfold, Black Label
Society, Disturbed, Trivium
and Limp Bizkit held tributes
A year later, Dimebag and Vinnie formed the band Damageplan. Damageplan was a heavy metal band that
used Pantera’s groove metal style. Damageplan released its debut album, New
Found Power in 2004. The album sold
45,000 copies in its first week.
On December 8th, 2004, while
playing with Damageplan in Columbus,
Ohio, Dimebag was shot by a mentally ill
ex-marine named Nathan Gale. Dimebag
was shot in the back of the head, killing
him instantly. Gale fired 15 shots, injuring
Damageplan’s drum technician, John
“Kat” Brooks, and tour
manager Chris Paluska. Gale then took
Brooks hostage. Gale
only saw cops in the
front of the stage. He
didn’t see Officer
James Niggemeyer
come in the back with
a Remington 870
shotgun. Brooks
moved for a split second and the officer
shot Gale in the face,
killing him. CPR was
administered to Abbott
but he could not be revived. Later, it was
found out that Gale was suffering from
severe schizophrenia and he thought that
the band members were “stealing his
thoughts”, “reading his mind” and they
were “laughing at him”.
After Dimebag’s death, artists such as
Buckethead, Nickelback, Avenged Sevenfold, Black Label Society, Disturbed, Trivium and Limp Bizkit held tributes for him.
In Disturbed’s 2005 song “Ten thousand
fists”, the song stated “We would like to
dedicate this record to our the memory of
our late fallen brother Dimebag Darrell,
one of the greatest guitar players to walk
the face of this earth”. In Limp Bizkit’s
2005 song “The Priest”, the song stated “I
see someone in rage killing Dimebag on
stage, what the hell is this”. In Trivium’s
2006 album The Crusade, the last page of
the album booklet says “Rest in peace
Dimebag Darrell Abbott (1966-2004)”.
Dimebag will definitely be considered one
of the greatest guitarists ever.
Page 15
The Tusker Tribune
The Story Behind the Converse Phenomenon
By Summer Blair
SOMERS, NY 1/23/09--In
Malden, Massachusetts in 1908, Marquis
M. Converse opened the Converse Rubber Company. Until 1912, Converse made
winter galoshes for men, women and children. Then the Converse Company wanted a way to stay year round.
In 1915,
Converse
created a
tennis shoe
and by
1918, business doubled for
them. In
1918, the first Converse All-Star shoe was
created. They made it in a brown canvas
at first. Business was slow when the first
All Star came out. Then in 1921 to the
Quick Facts about the Converse
1. Converse created the very first
basketball shoe in the world.
2. 60% of all Americans own or
have owned a pair of Converse AllStar.
3. Chuck Taylor was the first person to have his name put on a
shoe.
4. In 1957 Converse only cost
only $3.95
5. Converse has been sold in 144
countries.
6. In 1936, when basketball was a
sport in the Olympics, America beat
Canada for the gold, wearing Converse All-Stars of course.
7. Nicknames for Converse are
“Cons, Chucks and Connies” in
1930.
1960s basketball teams were using Converse as apart of their uniform. Basketball
just became a very popular sport and it
was supply and demand. Converse decided to come out with a black canvas and
a leather version of their sneaker as well.
Sales now were increasing rapidly as the
sport of basketball became a lot more
popular.
In 1957, the causal low-cut Converse was created. Instead of only the
basketball teams wearing Converse, so
were their fans.
From when the Converse All Star
came out to when the low cut was created, Converse owned 80% of the sneaker
industry. Then a new sneaker company—
Nike--moved in after 1969, taking over the
industry. Then after that, more and more
companies came afloat. Soon the Converse was discarded for shoes with colors
and new technology such as more cushioning and better material for doing sports.
Frantically, Converse had to stay
in the game somehow. They created the
One Star in 1974 and the Dr. J. in 1976. In
the 1980s- 1990s, management changes
caused problems and debt was catching
up to the tired company. Converse was
falling apart. So they made shoes with
prints, patterns and unusual colors for
different age groups. In 2001, Converse
filed for bankruptcy for a debt of over $183
million. Thankfully Converse was too
grounded in the business to shut down.
So they packed up in the US and moved
to Indonesia.
Do you ever wonder about the
insignia on the Converse All Star ankle
patch? Who is Chuck Taylor anyway?
Most people would think that’s what the
shoe is called or it’s the creator’s name
when in actuality, Charles “Chuck” Taylor
was Converse’s endorser. He was the
only reason Converse owned the sneaker
industry.
In
1921, Taylor
joined the
Converse
sales force
in Chicago.
Taylor was a
high school
basketball
star and decided to start the Converse All
Star basketball team. Taylor was a player/coach and kept advertising for the Converse. He became the very first player
endorser. Taylor increased the sales of
the Converse All Star so much that in
1923, his name was added to the ankle
patch.
Taylor joined the Army Air Force
in World War Two and to raise the spirits
of the men, Taylor created a basketball
team. There, the Converse was named
the official shoe of the Army Air Force.
When Taylor returned, he increased the
traction, sole, and ankle support to meet
the demands of basketball players.
In 1968, Taylor was inducted into
the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was
called the “Ambassador of Basketball.”
Soon after, he retired and a year later, he
died, June 23, 1969.
Today, Converse has sold over
800,000,000 pairs of shoes worldwide,
being one of the most popular shoes out
there. Last year 2008 marked Converse’s
100th anniversary; the shoes created in
2008 were named the Converse Century.
Some shoes go out of style, but not Converse. Converse is special to me because
I can pick a pair that describes me based
on the incredible variety of patterns, colors, and styles. I will never turn my back
on these legendary shoes ever.
Page 16
The Tusker Tribune
March Madness Preview
‘
By Xavier Lloyd
the “Final 4” spot.
SOMERS, NY—1/28/09--Who
will win it all this year? How did it happen
last year? Here is the lowdown on “March
Madness
And finally, you advance to
the two last teams.
Whoever wins gets
the really really big
trophy.
Get ready for a little background
on the biggest tournament around. Every
year, 64 college basketball teams enter in
the tournament and they all try to advance
to the championship match. But as we
know, only two teams will make it there.
Every year during March, this huge NCAA
tournament rolls around and is a very
tough one to win.
But before the tournament even
begins, all the teams must qualify for it.
You qualify by winning other tournaments
throughout the year or by doing well in
your regular season division. To win the
March Madness tournament, you must
start in the first round of 64 teams and
then advance from there.
The second round of the tournament has 32 teams in it because half get
eliminated in the first round.
Then, from the second round,
you advance to the third round of 16
teams, also known as the “Sweet 16”.
After the third round, you advance to the fourth round, known as the
“Elite 8” teams. And from, there you go to
The
league has been
running this tournament since 1939
to find out the best
men’s college basketball team. So
what do the teams
do? They fight until
the finish.
Some of the biggest upsets of
last year’s tournament were (No. 2)
Georgetown vs. (No. 10) Davidson. Davidson won the matchup by 2 points it was
89 to 87. Another upset of last year’s tournament was when (No. 5) Drake played
(No. 12) Western Kentucky and Western
Kentucky won the game. In addition, a
real upset when (No. 2) Duke played (No.
7) West Virginia. It was a tough game, but
in the end, West Virginia came out on top.
One last upset from last year’s tournament was when (No. 5) Clemson lost to
(No. 12) Villanova in the
first round winner of last
year’s March Madness
tournament was Kansas,
but I don’t think they will
make it that far in this
upcoming tournament.
There are seven teams
that I think have potential to make the Final
Four, but as we know,
only four can make it.
My predictions for the
teams that have the
greatest chance of making the Final Four
are U.N.C, Duke, Pittsburg, Wake Forest,
Xavier, Memphis and UCLA I think these
teams are the best choices because of
how they have been playing so far this
year.
The three teams I think can
make it all the way to the final championship game are Duke, U.N.C and Pittsburgh.
On the other hand, some teams I
don’t think should not be in the tournament at all are Connecticut, Gonzaga and
UMBC because they did so badly last
year
Page 17
The Tusker Tribune
Earth, Wind and Fire—The Giants’ Running Backs
‘
second chance against to give the Patriots their first loss of the season.
By Joe Corcione
SOMERS, NY—1/28/09--When
you think of back-ups or second string,
you think of people who do not have starting potential. With the New York Giants
running backs, “second string” players
play like starters.
Earth, wind, and fire, aka Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, Ahmad Bradshaw, make up the best running back
squad in the league. Each running back is
unique and is used for different purposes.
Jacobs is a lean, mean, trucking
machine and barrels through defenders.
Ward is elusive and can break away easily in open field. Bradshaw is fast and
makes the
defenders go
the extra mile
to catch him.
Each
running back
has contributed enough to
make the Giants a winning
team, and to win Super Bowl XLII against
Tom Brady and the “perfect” Patriots.
The 2007-08 season was the
start of Earth, Wind and Fire. With Tiki
Barber retired, Brandon Jacobs came in
as the starting running back for the Giants. Even though he was out six games
of the season due to a leg injury, he
rushed for 1,009 yards. His injury caused
Jacob’s to miss the first four weeks and 2
other regular season games. After Jacobs’
injury, Derrick Ward had to step up and
become the starter for a while. Ward had
shown that second string players are not
always bad. Ward had rushed on average
of 95 yards per game in which he took
Jacobs’ place. Ward showed a lot of de-
Wild Card Weekend 2007. It was
Giants vs. Buccaneers. Jacobs did not
play as much, so Bradshaw got the ball a
few times rushing for 66 yards and Jacobs
rushing for 34 yards. The Giants beat on
the Bucs 24-14.
cency. Even when Jacobs came back,
Ward still played and still rushed for a nice
amount of yards.
A couple weeks after Ward’s first
start, he suffered a very minor fracture in
the game against the 49ers causing him
to miss a couple games, even though he
was told to miss the season. When Ward
returned, he showed a fracture can’t hold
him back. He rushed for 151 yards in the
game against the Bears. Ward finished
the season with 602 yards total. Ward
couldn’t be put out there for much or else
the fracture may be turned into a clean
break. Plus, Jacobs was on the sidelines
again due to another leg injury. The Giants had to make a decision. Either start
Reuben Droughns, or start the fresh new
rookie, Ahmad Bradshaw.
They ended up starting
Droughns until the game against the Buffalo Bills. The Giants needed to win this
game so they could clinch a playoff spot.
When Bradshaw returned a kickoff for a
touchdown, Coach Coughlin probably
thought that this rookie needed some
playing time.
Bradshaw gave more than what
was expected, rushing for 151 yards in
just one game. The coaches knew this kid
was going to help the Giants.
Jacobs returned for the last
game against the Patriots. Even though
the Giants had lost, they would have their
Sunday, February 3, 2008. Super Bowl XLII. The underdog Giants vs.
the “Perfect” Patriots. Nobody knew how
this game would turn out. 18 wins, with
one GIANT
loss. The Giants had beaten the Patriots
17-14 with
Jacobs rushing for 42
yards and
Bradshaw for
45. This was a
brand new start for Earth, Wind and Fire.
2008-09 Season
The Giants seemed like the best
team in the league in the 2008-09 season.
With a 12-4 record and two running backs
with 1000+ yards, they seemed unstoppable halfway into the season.
Then reporters found out about
Plaxico Burress’ shooting incident. It has
been reported as Plaxico Burress went
down to a nightclub with Antonio Pierce,
linebacker, and Ahmad Bradshaw.
Burress was carrying a loaded gun on
him. Something made the trigger ignite
causing the gun to shoot him in the leg. If
that wasn’t enough already, Antonio
Pierce tried to hide the gun. Burress and
Pierce may have had to face charges.
Burress was taken off the roster and put
on the non-Injury list. That was a hit that
the
Continued on page 18
Page 18
The Tusker Tribune
Spears’ New CD is ‘Just Like a Circus’
By Victoria Stanziani
SOMERS, NY—1/23/09--While
Britney Spears celebrated her birthday on
December 2nd, she also celebrated her
CD, Circus, coming out in stores all over
the nation.
After all the craziness in her life
such as, getting into drugs and alcohol,
getting divorced, and losing custody of her
kids, Britney wanted to prove to everybody she could get her life back on track.
And that’s exactly what she did. She
cleaned herself up and climbed her way
back to the top of the charts with this album.
This CD contains 12 new songs
and a bonus track. Some songs are slow
and have meaningful lyrics. Most of the
songs are fast, fun to sing along to, and
make great party music. For example,
“Kill the Lights” has a great beat, and the
lyrics are about all the trouble she went
through with the paparazzi always following her.
“Is that
money in
your pocket? Are
you happy
to see me?
Kill the
lights! Take
them out,
turn them
off, break them down. Kill the Lights! Don’t
be scared, make your move, see me
now?” That is just one part of the song
telling the paparazzi to leave her alone.
now you’re going to love her. Go out and
buy the CD Circus right now and I promise, you won’t be able to turn it off!
Rolling Stone says the CD Circus
is “clubby, adventurous pop”. They like
the mix of slow and fast songs really show
that she put real studio time into making
this album.
Unusual You
Coke Machine Glow disagrees,
and said “Circus is a saddening step back
from her glossy, yet un-engaging In the
Zone era, which is a shame”
Lace and Leather
The CD contains the following
songs:
Womanizer
Circus
Out From Under
Kill The Lights
Shattered Glass
If U Seek Me
Blur
MMM Papi
Mannequin
My Baby
Radar
If you like Britney Spears, well
Earth, Wind and fire Continued from page 17
fans had ever witnessed.
Giants had struggled to get up from. That’s when the Giants’ season went downhill. It was week 16. The last home game of the
season against the Carolina Panthers. The Giants had already
lost 2 of their last games without Burress. They couldn’t mess up.
This was for home field advantage in the playoffs. It was cold,
bitter, and the Panthers were a strong team. Earth, Wind and Fire
was needed. By 4th quarter, the Giants needed a miracle. It was
20-28 and the Panthers had the lead. The Giants had the ball 1st
and goal. They knew what they had to do in this situation--pound
the ball through the middle with Brandon Jacobs. When the ball
was snapped, Jacobs got the exchange and got through the defensive line for a touchdown. They just needed two points to tie it
up.
The Panthers had the ball back. Their drive ended them
up in field goal range. The Panthers’ kicker just needed three
points to win the game. The clock was down to five seconds. The
snap, the kick…and the miss! They were heading into overtime.
They went for the two point conversion. The handoff to
Jacobs was stopped short…then all of a sudden, quarterback Eli
Manning threw to Dominick Hixon in the end zone. The crowd
went wild. It was one of the best play action passes the Giants’
Earth, wind and fire are the best running back squad a
team could ever ask for. The Giants have them. Next year, they
will rush again. Hopefully to Super Bowl XLIV.
Later in overtime, Derrick Ward was soon to be the hero
of the game. When it was snapped, Ward got the ball and ran
outside for 54 yards. He put them in field goal range. The next
play, Ward had another huge run. The play after that, Eli Manning
threw to Hixon for the winning touchdown. Ward rushed 215 yards
with only 15 carries. This was memorable.
Unfortunately, the Giants season ended with the difficult
loss against the NFC East rivals, The Eagles.
The Class Newspaper Project is
the culminating activity in the
Somers Middle School 8th Grade
Non-Fiction Writing Unit.
Students choose a non-fiction
topic, research it, and write
several drafts in their Writer’s
Workshop Notebooks before
typing a final draft. Students
also proofread the issue before
it goes to press and they learn
how to correctly cite their
sources according to MLA style.
The
Got Walnuts (?)
—Waynestock
Bowl Times
is published by the
8th grade students
in Mr. Pappas’
Period 8 2008-2009
Writer’s Workshop
class at
Somers Middle
School
250 Route 202

2015 Tusker Tribune USE THIS ONE.pub

Transcription

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