The Liberty Ledger FEBRUARY 2019 I S S U E 1 9

Climate Change Negotiations By: Nicole Ng and Sabrina Lewis

On Friday, December 13, 2019, the 8th grade honors science classes per- formed a simulation of the World Cli- mate Negotiations. Students acted as representatives of various countries and got together to come up with strat- egies and compromises to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions framed!” When asked who took the bribe in the first into the air. We were chosen to be the place, the representatives of the country in question all press corp for this event, and our job was to interview pointed their fingers at one person, who shall remain negotiators and document the situation. The countries unnamed. When we questioned him about this, he in this simulation were “Other Developed” Countries, said that another kid had told him to. Apparently, the “Other Developing” Countries, China, the European person that had bribed him had said, “Go ahead if you Union, India, and the United States. like.” The other group members “banned” the kid who took the bribe from the European Union, and everyone Each country's needs went on with the event. However, this made a lasting were different, as well effect on who negotiated with the European Union, for as their budget and nobody trusted them anymore. available resources to offer. However, they all A general consensus from several groups said that the had the same goal in United States was difficult to work with. They were mind- make smart and scamming countries, so no one wanted to make deals calculated negotiations with them. In fact, two US representatives came up to with the other countries so that they can get what their us and asked us for our notes. Not knowing what to country needs, all the while trying to stop the global do, we showed them, but regretted it as soon as they average temperature from raising up by at least 2 de- told us that we weren’t to do this with any other coun- grees Celsius by 2100. Six groups, one goal. If they all tries. However, they did tell us that the general shown had a similar goal; what could go wrong? in the introduction video was talking in code to the brother of a student and threatening to hurt them. We Apparently, many things can go wrong when negotiat- still don’t know whether this is true or false, but this ing with other countries. Many interesting and huge was very interesting. twists and turns happened during this event; however, there was one event that no one saw coming. It took After the first half of the place at 11:12 a.m. A couple of minutes before then, negotiations were over, we had gotten tipped off about a bribe that the Europe- each group’s chosen an Union had taken from Big Oil! We went through spokesperson went up to their stuff and sure enough, we found that inside a the podium on the stage Chromebook case, the European Union was hiding a and delivered their infor- crinkled brown paper bag that contained 100 Grand mation on what their group bars, and the bag had a dollar sign on it that was writ- will do to stop the growth ten with black marker. We took both the bag and rate of the global average Chromebook case, captured photos as evidence, and temperature by 2100. There were 5 categories that brought it up to the podium to reveal what the EU had were needed in order to fill out a chart that would cal- been hiding from the other groups. There was outrage culate how much each country affected the global av- from the other countries directed at the EU, and one erage temperature, and those five categories were the representative from the EU cried out, “I’ve been emissions peak year, which is the year that carbon The Liberty Ledger

Climate Change Negotiations … Continued By: Nicole Ng and Sabrina Lewis dioxide levels are at India defended themselves, saying that the other their top, reduction countries should blame themselves because they begin year, which is backed India into a corner and they couldn’t get out the year that a coun- unless they didn’t contribute anything. They specifi- try will begin to re- cally blamed the EU, saying that the EU backed out duce the carbon di- of the only deal that they had made, so they were oxide levels, annual left with no deals at all, and decided to stop trying reduction rate, there. which is how much of a country’s car- Although India did have a fair point as to why they bon dioxide emission they will try to get rid of each acted like that, In- year, Effort to prevent deforestation, and effort to pro- dia’s actions re- mote afforestation. sulted in a near- unanimous cry The “other developed” countries said that their peak from the other admission year was 2022, their reduction begin year countries to de- was 2025, their annual reduction rate was 2.5%, their clare war on India. effort to prevent deforestation was 50%, and their ef- The only group fort to promote afforestation was 60%. From all of that did not de- this, the global temperature average lowered down to clare war on India was the “other developing” coun- 3.9 degrees Celsius from its devastatingly high origi- tries, and as a result, the other countries decided nal, which was 4.2 degrees Celsius and above. China that they did not like the “other developing” coun- presented next, and the temperature went down by tries, and started hating on them for not declaring 0.4 degrees Celsius to 3.5 degrees Celsius. The Eu- war on India. ropean Union nor India did not contribute as much to the lowering of the temperature as the other two Even though this event was funny and we had a countries, as after they presented their information, good time, it still has some educational value. The the temperature only went down by 0.1 degrees Cel- chart showed that the two most important things to sius for each, lowering it down to 3.3 degrees Celsi- the effect on the global temperature average were us. However, the “other developing” countries low- the emissions peak year and reduction begin year, ered it down to 2.6 degrees Celsius, and the United for time is the most valuable resource. Although the States to 2.2 degrees Celsius! climate change meeting did not reach its goal nor a happy ending, it was a great time. But in the end, Things were looking these meetings really do happen in the real world, bright, and every sin- and the global temperature average in 2100 is se- gle person was cer- vere. We need to act soon; otherwise, our planet tain that things would will be destroyed in less than a century! Some continue this way. things you can do to help reduce the climate are That all six countries recycling plastic water bottles or not using them at would come to an all, not using styrofoam cups, and using less ener- agreement and fig- gy. But until the majority of the world realizes how ure out this global problem. But… that’s always when dire the climate situation is globally, we shall contin- things take a turn for the worse. ue to suffer and make our future grimmer than it al- ready is. At the end of all of the negotiations, each country shared the results on their end, and they were in- The roses are blooming, putted into a graph to see how they affected the total The sky a great blue; growth in global average temperature. Each country This could be our future… was contributing a lot to their unanimous goal and it’s all up to you. everything was going smoothly… that is, until it was India’s turn to present their results. They had decided to make absolutely no effort to decrease their carbon emissions because they didn’t have the money. In- The roses are wilting, stead of helping their goal, they hurt it instead, and the sky so grey; they caused the global temperature average to go up if we don’t act now… this is the to 2.2 degrees Celsius (see next page). Even after all price we’ll pay. that, India still had the nerve to request $100 billion from the fund that went towards their goal! However, The Liberty Ledger

Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild Review By: Ayden Varkey

Even though this game was released three years ago and with a sequel in development, is it still worth it to pick this almost perfect score game? Well, for many people, this game is a must for almost all Nintendo fans. This game is basically perfect in a lot of people’s eyes with perfect scores and even winning Game Of The Year for 2017 and being nominated for many of the categories. So most of this article will be explaining why this is so good, and some nitpick I and fans have. But this is made Nitpicks by Nintendo, and they make acclaimed games like Leg- Before I nitpick this game, these are not huge end of Zelda Ocarina of Time and Super Mario Odyssey. problems. But instead, things that other friends What makes this game so special? Well, let me tell you and I don’t like about the game. The first thing I why a lot of the people who played this game and I think think a lot of people can agree that they hate are that this is worth your time to play. the gyro puzzles in shrines. In certain shrines (Shrines are kind of like a place where you solve Why is this game so good? The Story multiple smaller puzzles in the shrine to get a re- In Legend of The Zelda Breath of the Wild, this game has ward at the end), there are puzzles that require a basic story like most of the games in the franchise have you to use the gyro that the pro controller and the with a twist. Zelda is the damsel in distress and needs to joy-cons have. Gyro basically means if you turn be rescued by Link from the hands of the evil pig called the controller, for example, up or down. The puz- Gannon. But Zelda takes a bigger role than what she zle on the screen will react to how you move the takes in other games. In the games, she is mostly like controller. These puzzles in these shrines can be Peach, ready to be rescued by Link. But in Breath of the really annoying at times. One of the shrines with Wild, she is more than a princess. In the game, one of the infuriating gyro puzzles is the Myahm Agana the main characters Impa, gives you the task to regain Shrine. It would be best if you basically guided the your memories since when you got resurrected, it got rid ball through the maze by moving the controller. I of a lot of Link’s memories. You gain back your memories think you can tell by just looking at this will be an- by going to places that are in the photos that Zelda took. noying. And mostly everyone in the Zelda fan Completing the four divine beasts and getting the master base agrees. Some people may object by saying sword. This is where most of the story happens and how we are just bad at video games, well then try do- you get the true story. In the memories, they give more ing the legit way, and I am sure that you will get backstory about Zelda and what role she plays in the angry about this. main story. The memories have great animation and mu- sic, which made it even better. The only thing I don’t like Another thing that I am sure that most fans will about the memories is that they are set up in a way so hate in the rain. The rain doesn’t just add atmos- that it is not required. As much as it says it is a “Main phere. This also impacts how you travel. A big Quest,” you are not required to. You could beat Gannon part of moving around the map is climbing. But without going through the memories. Yes, you are still when rain is going on. You will tend to slip down getting the general gist of the story, but you are still miss- the mountain and lose some stamina every few ing out on a huge chunk of the story, in my opinion. seconds. This can be very annoying since if you have very low stamina, you basically can’t climb. The Art And even if you have max stamina, it is still chal- “Why dedicate a whole section to art of a 3-year-old lenging to climb. For some reason, this almost game” You might be asking? The art style in this game is always happened when you wanted to climb, honestly beautiful. The art style, in my opinion, is unique. which inspired the hate for this. It does not have the same style of art most mainstream games have but still looks great at the same time. Per- Conclusion sonally, what I think what the general type of art style it For me, if you have a switch or are getting one. has is that it has is like the art style from the Wind Waker. Then I would suggest you get this. I would say But the art looks more serious and less cartoon-like. Al- that this would be one of the best Action- so, with the amazing music and art in the cut scenes Adventure games I played and changed my view make them look even better. And this isn’t just me prais- on these games. And even if you are not into ing the art direction since I am a Nintendo fanboy. This Zelda games, you might like this one like me. If game has a really good art direction and even got nomi- you do consider picking this one up, then I highly nated for Best Art Direction. recommend you to do a blind playthrough of this The Liberty Ledger

Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild Review … Continued By: Ayden Varkey game. This means that I suggest you not to search up game makes you have a certain type of joy inside you any gameplay or any info about this game besides the or least for me. But my final rating for this game is like trailer. Because for me, the reason I loved this game, it’s many other articles. I give this a 10/10, and I would excellent game design and discovering everything on easily recommend this game to anyone a fan of Zelda your first playthrough. Discovering new things in this Games or for anyone who wants to try one.

Getting to Know Coach Dowd and Coach Krayton

By: Dorinda Destine If you could coach any other sport, what would it be and why? Football because there COACH KRAYTON is a team aspect and the game is so im- portant to the success of the team; if one How does it feel to be the or two players have a good game does not new coach of the Liberty mean the whole team will succeed and win, boys basketball team? At which means all players must buy in. first, I was nervous step- ping in for Coach Bridge. Will you continue to coach basketball next But once the season start- year? If I am given the opportunity next ed it became the most re- year, I will gladly accept it. We have a re- warding experience in my ally great returning 8th class doing some- life. thing special at Liberty.

What do you enjoy the most about this team you COACH DOWD are working with? The boys this year were eager to How does it feel to be grow as basketball players the new coach of the who made coaching new skills and plays very easy liberty girls basketball to accomplish and because of this we quick develop team? It is exciting into a family. and challenging because of the level of compe- What do you dislike about the team you are work- tition. ing with? I only got to coach the 8th graders for What do you enjoy the once season, and they will be truly missed. most about this team you are working with? What do you dislike the most about coaching bas- I enjoy working with the players and seeing ketball? That there is not enough time to practice them get better. before and in between games. 7th and 8th grade is What do you dislike about the team you are a huge year for development, and most of the de- working with? I dislike not focusing/not mo- velopment happens when we are breaking down our tivated players. success and failures. What do you dislike the most about coaching What do you like the most about coaching basket- basketball? I dislike late practices because ball? You get to see player growth in real time. I that means I get home late. remember a reefer saying how this year we have grown as a team with only four games being played What do you like the most about coaching and then see that growth throughout the season basketball? I like the sport and competition. has taught me that these boys will meet and ex- ceed their potential. Do you have any past experiences with

Do you have any past experiences with coaching coaching any basketball team in the past? No, I have never coach basketball before. any basketball team in the past? Yes, I coached a travel basketball team for an assistant coach but Why do you like the basketball? It's excit- not as nothing as the competition we have here a ing and it takes a lot of skill, and condition- Liberty. ing. Ball is life.

Why do you like basketball? Basketball is one of If you could coach any other sports other my favorite sports because of the speed it is than cross country/track what would you played. As a coach, this allows you to make an ad- choose and why? I would probably say base- justment on the fly which makes basketball the ball or football because I enjoy playing closest game to a chess match. baseball. The Liberty Ledger

Farewell By: Jayson McArdle

The “Giant” Debacle The had set a new record, a los- ing record. The Giants lost nine games in a row and had fallen to the bottom of the NFC East. If that wasn’t bad enough, their best players were injured. and Rhett Ellison were in- jured, and the Giants would have to use the there third-string tight end. With other less notable inju- ries, they had to resort to less experienced rook- ies, who would have to help pick up the team. Of course, though, the most notable player on the injury report was Daniel Jones, and it was clear would lose to Green Bay in a crushing defeat, he would not play against the Dolphins. He is cur- 13-38 Green Bay. rently recovering from a high ankle sprain, of which the nature of the injury is said to be Fans could only be excited about what was to “minimal” by coach . Daniel Jones come, but the 2017 season would not live up would start for a majority of the season, as Man- to expectations. Before I get to that, we must ning was benched after two losses to start off the mention the “Giants Curse”, and some of the season. After the injury to Jones in week 14, it bad things about certain players. Before the was clear that Eli may get one more shot. playoff game against Green Bay, the team took a picture, which caused a lot of attention Eli and Giants History 101 from media, and after the loss, many people Eli Manning has been a very good career player, would criticize the team because of there evi- and only after winning two Super Bowls (giving dent cockiness. Odell Beckham, the rising the team a total of four wins) did the star, would have a few incidents have he team start to decline. From here on out, Eli and punched a practice kicking net, which, when the team would decline, , who had coming down, hit him in the face. He punched been through the dominant years of the Giants a wall in the Green Bay locker room after a would leave in 2016. This would be the confrontation with the media. Many had criti- “Renaissance” period for the team, fueled by old cized his actions, but soon he would overstep and new players like Odell Beckham Junior, Vic- his boundary when he said it was Eli’s fault tor Cruz, Jason Pierre-Paul, , and Ja- they had lost, and that he was “too old” to noris Jenkins. There was only one problem, one play. Odell made a splash in the media, and problem you must understand to understand Eli with this tension, the Giant’s staff made the Manning. decision to eventually trade him.

Ben McAdoo + Eli Under The Bus Ben McAdoo was heading into the season When Tom Coughlin retired, Ben McAdoo, the with playoff hopes, and a press that was semi- for the team, would take his positive, but they would finish with an abysmal job. He stepped in at a vital time in the team’s re- record of 3-13. He would eventually be fired cent history. After years of mediocrity after win- and replaced by Pat Shurmer (he isn’t doing ning their 2 Super Bowls, they had gotten #1 draft much better). He has only made 1 television pick, Odell Beckham Jr., along with Eli Apple. The appearance in the past 2 years. He has disap- next year they would get Evan Engram. Ben peared from the media, and his whereabouts, McAdoo took the helm at a perfect time, a time hobbies, and jobs are unknown. It is fair to say once again I would call a Renaissance Period for he is the stain on Eli’s records. Quite literally, the Giants. They would make the playoffs in his he ended Eli’s continuous starts in games, first year of coaching, with an 11-5 record. They and started for a few games, The Liberty Ledger

Farewell Eli Manning … Continued By: Jayson McArdle

which enraged fans. Writing about him now part of a 2 generational dynasty, with the 3rd makes me ANGRY!! RAHHHHHHH! generation of Mannings coming, and looking better then Peyton and Eli, we might be in for Conclusion a ride. I can only hope one day a Manning will I want to make it clear that the drama or “tea”, it return to the Giants, but in the meantime, we does not take away from the underlying fact. Eli have Daniel Jones… Manning brought home 2 Super Bowls to the G Good luck DJ! (WATCH THE XFL) please. Men and is one of the greats of the NFL. He is

Getting to Know Mrs. Bridge

By: Svara Bhatnagar and Skylar Lassiter

What college did you graduate from and what was your major?

I went to Montclair State University, majoring in elementary education. I also have a middle school mathematics graduate certificate and a master’s in school counseling.

What do you like best about your job?

I always knew that I wanted to help people. I like to help people grow to appreciate math or just solve a problem. I love the people that I work with and the humor it brings.

What do you like least about your job?

Paperwork. Having to analyze data and write up paperwork based off of it. Anything that involves paperwork is tedious and takes up time and has nothing to do with teach- ing.

What is your favorite movie? people to be introspective. One of my favorite movies is the Devil Wears Prada. Do you speak another language?

What do you like to do outside of school? No. Only a little bit of Spanish. I am a fitness instructor at Lifetime and Power- house. I enjoy working out and teaching group What is your favorite food? fitness. I love seafood and sushi. If you had to pick a profession, other than teaching, what would it be? How long have you been teaching at Liberty? I have been teaching at Liberty since it opened- I would be a therapist or counselor. I like helping 14 years. The Liberty Ledger Totally Accurate Battle

Simulator Review

By: Nathaniel Thomas Campaign, and the Pirate Campaign.

Sandbox Sandbox is basically the opposite of the cam- paign. You have an infinite amount of points, and you can add units to these teams. This mode is used to create epic battles, and people use the sandbox for fun. So basically, the sandbox is for fun, and the campaign is for a challenge.

Review T.A.B.S. is a really fun game, and there are many reasons that it is better than other battle simula- tors. There are three main reasons why it’s the Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, also known as TABS, best battle game, its physics, units, and its ability is a wacky physics-based battle simulator. It is a ragdoll to play as units. physics game developed by Landfall Games. There are many different campaigns and features that I want to talk Physics about. It is a game beloved by many, and there are many T.A.B.S. is a ragdoll physics game. This means reasons why I think you should get this specific battle that characters fly around, they flop around while simulator instead of other ones. T.A.B.S. costs $10, but attacking, and the physics are just really funny. people with the Xbox game pass can get it for free. This makes the game really fun to watch. It is one

reason that people come back to play it again and Background Information again. In TABS, there are two different teams, the red team and the blue team. Units in the teams charge to the other Units team, and both teams battle until one team wins... T.A.B.S. has many different units. There are over

90 units in the game, and all of them are unique. Units One example is the tree giant. It is literally a giant TABS has many who fights with a giant tree. Then there is the different units. All of reaper, who is the grim reaper himself. Another these units are split unique unit is the halfling, a tiny man who jumps into different fac- on his enemy and pulls them down. As you can tions, depending on tell, T.A.B.S. has many different units, and they all what the units are. are very different from each other. For example, pirate

units are in the pi- Playable Units rate faction, spooky units are in the spooky faction, and The units in cavemen units are in the tribal faction. Units have differ- T.A.B.S. are all ent costs, and they vary depending on how good they playable. This are. The number of points the unit costs is used in cam- means that you paigns. For example, a king costs 1,500 points, and a can be a part of ballooner costs 60. You use these units to form armies to the action. battle. Though many

battle simulator games have playable units, Campaign T.A.B.S. has a unique way of doing it. Each char- In the campaign mode, you battle different armies with a acter has a set of unique attacks, all of which are limited amount of points. The points you get are used to usable. Also, being able to play as units put you in purchase different units to fight the opposing army. Once the center of the action and makes the game a lot you beat the enemy, you move onto the next level. There more fun. are many different campaigns, such as the Beginner

Campaign, the Challenge Campaign, and the Adventure Conclusion Campaign. There are also campaigns for different fac- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator is a great game. tions, including the Spooky Campaign, Renaissance The Liberty Ledger

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Review … Continued By: Nathaniel Thomas

If you are planning to get an inexpensive battle simulator game, or you’re just looking for a game to play, get this game. However, if you wish to have a large number of units, T.A.B.S. isn’t the best because large units can cause lag. There are a few flaws, but it is an overall great game.

By: Olivia Solomon ART

By: Andrea Coba By: Damien Delisca By: Justice Cillo Smith

Helping Hands

By: Janiyah Conaway & Daniell LatocheDaley In the month of December, the Helping Hands club made cards for the veterans to make them feel a little closer to home during the holiday during the holidays.

The Helping Hands club wrapped up presents for the students of Washington Elementary School. In Decem- ber, we went to Washington Elementary to hand out Christmas gifts to the kindergarteners.

The Helping Hands club takes the time to help out the community and the school with the heartwarming things that they do.

So, far we have thrown a party for senior citi- zens, made care packages for the homeless, helping out the Tender Loving Totes group, and before the Christmas break, they are go- ing to celebrate everything they have done before the new year.