The Boulevard

Volume III, ISSUE II Winter 2018-2019

Newspaper Writers: Amber Almonte, Sidrah Ashrafi, Tauba Ashrafi, Anneliese Baum, Max Berger, Aryana Borjas, Rachel Cafaro, Hiral Chavre, Brian Chen, Rachel Chen, Lily Cohen, Emily Elkinyuk, Jesse Glatt, Hayley Goldstein, Tali Goldwasser, Alexander Hassine, Chrissie Hogue, Kayleigh Jamieson, Nocicole Jasmin, Mai ing people with his actions. He is now Karutchi, Simon Kupchik, Rohan Murphy motivating the youth of America with Omer Rana, Mara Riegel, his words. Zoe Rodriguez, Farah Shi Has “No Excuses” All three grades attended the by Sidrah Ashrafi assembly. Rohan Murphy’s parlance Faculty Advisor: was very motivational. He spoke about how crucial it is to never give up and Mrs. Stacy Mauriello During WMS Wellness Week, the school had a very special impressed upon the students that

visitor, Rohan Murphy. Murphy is a there are “No Excuses.” He ex- nationally recognized youth speaker plained the struggles he went through who has spoken in over 40 states. He in his own life and how he learned to In This Issue lost his legs at birth and wanted noth- overcome them. Overall, it was a great ing more than to wrestle. With the experience for all grades and it gave School News 1-6 help of friends and family, he began students the inspiration to achieve wrestling in his freshman year of high their own goals and desires. school. After a successful wrestling The response from teachers and students was overwhelming. World News 7-11 career, he went to wrestle at Penn State University. In addition to wres- and Opinions tling, Rohan Murphy is also an ac- complished powerlifter who has rep- resented the United States by com- peting all around the globe. Technology 12-16 Rohan Murphy has starred in many publications such as ABC News, Sports, and Illustrated. He has Entertainment 13-26 also been featured in his own Nike commercial to promote and encour- age healthy lifestyles. Now, Rohan Sports 27-28 Murphy is a professional motivational speaker. He has lived his life motivat- VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 2 School News

Although Wellness Week who put their efforts toward some- Wellness Week is always a hit, this year especially, thing some deemed as hopeless. It by Lily Cohen many sixth graders enjoyed Well- was a motivational film that is sure ness Week, for it was a new expe- to be remembered. Wellness Week is a time rience for them since they have The trip to the New York during school to promote a healthy never had this at the elementary Hall of Science was a great learning and active lifestyle. Woodmere schools. opportunity for the 8th graders of Middle School has turned Wellness Hopefully, there will be Woodmere Middle School. Being Week into a huge event. Wellness more events this year to get kids brought to a new environment to Week started in 2000 as one Well- more active, and we definitely can- learn was truly an eye-opening expe- ness Day. Originally, Wellness was not wait for another Wellness rience for many. a single day event where speakers, Week at Woodmere Middle experts on the field of wellness; School! from nutrition, addiction, health and safety, etc., presented to stu- WMS Continues dents in each of their classes from 8th Grade Takes periods one through three. to #GetBooked The students weren't as the New York involved, and it didn't benefit them Reading is a wonderful thing. as much. Although, throughout the Hall of Science It can inspire, entertain and fuel years, Woodmere Middle School by Hiral Chavre your imagination. School teaches has expanded Wellness Day into a you to read, to set you off on a week-long activity. On November 30, 2018, good path for the future. You’ve This year, Wellness Week the eighth-grade students and been reading since pre-kindergarten. had many inclusive activities that teachers of Woodmere Middle But reading doesn’t interest every- many students throughout the School arrived at The New York one. Enter, #GetBooked, which grades enjoyed. Some included pa- Hall of Science in Queens. Little did continues to score points with stu- jama day, an important assembly they know, they had a fun-filled day dents through book tastings, from Rohan Murphy, family feud, awaiting them. Flipgrids, and trivia games. the spirit competition, favorite Upon arrival, after all the One element that students team Tuesday, the homeroom lunches were organized, everyone are excited about is WATCH IT scavenger hunt, and more. As tra- settled into the 3D theater to WEDNESDAY. Each Wednesday, dition, every year there is the so- watch the short film, Flight of the students view a Flipgrid often creat- Butterflies. It was an enthralling called “Wellness Man.” As said by ed by one of our teachers. In each one of the Woodmere Middle experience in which students were video teachers, and sometimes st School gym teachers, Mr. Viggiano, able to learn about the migration dents, present a short review and “Wellness man is a person who journey that most monarch butter- recommendation of a book they always keeps his pulse on the well- flies take each year. Then, the stu- read recently. being of students at WMS.” Also dents were able to wander around the museum to view the variety of said by Mr. Viggiano, “Wellness Week really supports every individ- exhibits they had to offer. There ual to be more healthy and active.” were exhibits on water weight, to Throughout all of the fun interactive activities on microbes. and inclusive activities that WMS After lunch, the students produces, the main reason behind settled back into the theater to it is to get kids to be more physi- watch another film, called Dream cally, emotionally, and mentally Big. It was an inspiring video, show- aware. ing the success stories of people VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 3 School News

Grade SIX Concert by Hayley Goldstein “A nation reveals itself not only by After many weeks of re- the people it hearsal, lessons, classes and more, on December 18th, 6th grade mu- produces, but by sicians from Woodmere Middle those it School finally took to the stage. Both excited and nervous, they remembers.” couldn’t wait to perform in either band, orchestra and/or chorus to a ~ Barack Obama packed house of family and friends. Each group performed three different, but fun songs. The concert lasted about 1-2 hours. The speeches provided by Songs played by Chorus: Celebrating the veterans were inspiring and Kha Kha from Africa,, Shanendo, and powerful; moving, at the very least. last but not least, Dream Keeper. Armistice Day The stories they told were tear Songs played by Band: bringing, and horrific. It only added Slingshot, Playground Parade, and last at WMS to the meaning of this day that they but not least, Distant Journey. would go through such terrible ex- by Max Berger Songs played by Orchestra: periences for the good of our coun- Star Spangled banner, Ode to Joy, and try, even if it meant having to suffer with the terrible consequences, such last but not least, Ninja. Students stood tall, hands A video of the evening’s as PTSD (post traumatic stress dis- over their hearts, gazing at the order), or having limbs blown off in performance can be found on the American Flag hanging in the audi- school website battle. torium, reciting the pledge of alle- They were away from their giance. “I pledge allegiance / to the families for so long, and gave such a flag / of the United States of Ameri- sacrifice for the rest of us. And for ca….” that, we can only do our bests to At the front of the audito- provide for them after they have rium stood a plethora of veterans provided for us. Programs like who fought in wars such as the Vi- “Building Homes for Heroes” helps etnam War and World War II. injured veterans and donates a fin- All of these veterans ished and renovated home for their worked and fought to defend the health and safety. country, so we could all live in a But for the rest of us, who peaceful country without war, can’t start our own organizations, where we can speak our minds, we can only say “thank you” when- marry who we want, and say what ever we see them. It was truly a we want. treat to be able to experience such an amazing presentation.

VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 4 School News

Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Band by Hiral Chavre

As many students walk into the school, they may hear the sound of the Chamber Orches- tra and Jazz Band hard at work, practicing for their Winter Concert. Both groups wake up bright and early at 7:30 AM, ready to rehearse the songs they prepared for. The Jazz Band, lead by Mr. Holford, had a selection of two songs, Deacon Jack’s Gospel Shack and Moondance. Deacon Jack’s Gospel Shack is a very spirited tune that is High School Theater sure to excite, along with Moondance, another lively piece. Department Visits The Chamber Orchestra, lead by Mr. ELA Classes Fund, had a selection of three pieces, including by Farah Shih Blue Fire Fiddler, English Folksong, and Creatures.

Blue Fire Fiddler is a very face-paced, English Folk- Did you know that the Theater Sequence at Hewlett song with a calming, slow melody, and Creatures, High School has proudly been named a Program of Excel- which has a spooky, eerie feel. With all the variety lence by the New York State English Council? Well lucky for of songs with the Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Woodmere Middle School students, the high school theater Band, there was surely a piece that everyone club visited each and every ELA class to perform for and loved. The Jazz Band performed on Tuesday, No- vember 11th, during the seventh-grade concert work with the students. and the Chamber Orchestra performed Tuesday, Classes in the sixth, seventh and eighth grade learned November 18th, during the sixth-grade concert. about improvisation and more. Different activities and thea- tre games were taught to the students, such as the Taxi Cab and the Bench. Students had optional choices of going up to participate in the activities, learning about how to act and do improvisation. Finally, students could have chosen to do a specific type of scene as well.

If selected, students performed a scene in front of their classmates. Arielle Vaknine, a sixth grader stated, the improvisation was, “Fun and fresh.” Winter Sherman, a sixth grader states, “It was good for them to come in because it could help us see what we might want to do in the future.” Nicole Jasmin, a sixth grader states, “When people participat- ed in the activities people could get to their more creative side going and people could see what they might want to do in the future.” All kids could benefit from learning new things. Students are already talking about another visit next year. VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 5 Getting to Know You!

Spotlight on Mrs. Morelli, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Home and Careers Teacher by Rachel Chen and Hayley Goldstein

Q: Why did you choose the profession you have?

A: This was not my first profession, but when I went back to graduate school, I realized that I liked helping students, so that’s why I decided to do this.

Q: If you were stranded on an island, what 3 items would you want to have with you?

A: A knife, matches, and I’m taking my husband.

Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Q: Which do you like better: lions or tigers? A: Invisibility, because I want to know what people A: Lions, because I like their fur. are doing.

Q: What is your favorite sweet treat? Q: If you could go to outer space, which planet would A: Chocolate peanut butter ice cream. you go to?

Q: Given the choice between pirate and astro- A: Saturn, because I like its rings. naut, which would you be?

Q: If you could be any animal in the world except for A: I’m being an astronaut because I don’t want to human, what would you be? be mean to anyone.

A: A dog that lives on Long Island, preferably in my Q: If you could have any job except for a teacher, house. what would you be?

Q: Would you rather be rich and unknown or poor A: I would be an interior designer because I think and famous? that it would be fun, and it's similar to Home and

Careers, and also because I took classes in college A: Rich and unknown. on it.

VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 6 After Hours… Going Clubbing!

Bojorge is Shrek, Ilana Mizrahi is Donkey, Anneliese Baum is Fiona, Sapir Mizrachi is Teen Fiona, Niva Ettedgui is Young Fiona, Evan Baum is Lord Farquaad, Frank Minerva is Pinocchio, Yael Madjar is Dragon. There are other smaller parts in the ensemble. The show days Friday March 22nd, and Saturday March 23rd. The backstage Builders Club starts in February so listen for the announcements. by Zoe Rodriguez The play is based on the Oscar winning movie. In the play the main character Shrek lived in a swamp and The Builders Club is lead by Mrs. McGlynn in room one day Lord Farquaad invaded his hut. Then he meets 111. Builders Club takes place during Thursday - 3:25 pm Fiona a human princess and falls in love with her and they - 4:15 pm. This club provides students to think of pro- go through a great journey. Be sure to come see these grams and services with fellow peers to benefit people in stars in March. It’s coming soon! Break a leg to the cast! need, such as people in poverty. Builders Club is a global student-led organization, which means students around the nation come together to fix a problem. Student’s take Homework Club by Zoe Rodriguez leadership roles in the club such as President, Vice-

President, Treasurer, and Secretary.

Recently, the club did a fundraiser that partnered The Homework Club advi- with UNICEF to donate money to homeless veterans in sors are Mrs. Schwartz and need. Now, the Builders Club is doing a coat drive for Mrs. Habshoosh, 8th grade people in need in the winter time. Supporting everyone in ELA teachers in WMS. The the community is the best way to give back. Homework Club takes place

in the library on Mondays Shrek the Musical Jr. and Wednesdays, 3:15-4:00 by Tali Goldwasser and Mai Karutchi pm. This club delivers an environment dedicated for

On November 26, a bunch of students lined up school work. The teachers to sign up for the auditions for the play. Each kid got a that are present in the club number and was called in to sing the song of their choice. are their to help answer any questions needed for the The next day students. The Homework Club is an area where Wood- Mr.Villegas put up the mere Middle School students can enjoy doing homework callback list. Then on without a distraction, or need a quiet space. Computers November 28, he put are available and the printers to complete any school- up a sheet with the work on the internet. If interested in the club make sure roles. The main roles to show up on Mondays and Wednesdays at the designat- went to Jeff Castellon- ed time.

VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 7

World News, Interests, and Opinions

didate as their first choice are tallied choice. Rank Choice for their second choice. If, in the It was a very smart move, new total, a candidate now has more even though it did not work, and Voting: than 50% of the total votes, that can- London Breed got elected as mayor. Good Idea in didate wins. Otherwise, a third However, Breed did not actually get round begins, where the candidate over 50% of the votes. She only got America? with the next lowest amount of 46% because 8.6% of the votes were by Anneliese Baum votes is eliminated. Their supporters’ exhausted because neither Leno nor second or (if they’d voted for the Breed were ranked. Maine also uses In some democracies, such candidate who got eliminated first) a rank-choice voting system for its as Ireland, a system of voting differ- third vote is counted. elections. ent from the one we Americans are If a ballot does not have any- familiar with is used. This system, more votes on it of people who are called rank choice voting, typically still in the race, the ballot is Rank choice voting could have elects candidates that lean more to- “exhausted” and counted out of the gotten Al Gore elected in the 2000 ward the center. This could be very total. These rounds go on until one presidential election, where Bush beneficial to America at this time of candidate holds a majority of the won in Florida by only 537 votes, polarized politics. votes. That candidate then wins the and Ralph Nadar, the Green Party A rank choice voting system election. candidate, got 97,421 votes. If those works like this: when you vote, you Rank-choice voting is just people had voted for Gore as their rank each candidate in the order in now being used in some parts of second choice, which probably which you would want your vote to America. It was used for the first in would have happened due to the fact count. For example, if you like candi- San Francisco for the mayoral elec- that Nadar and Gore had similar po- date A the most, you would rank tion. In the 2018 mayoral race, there litical views, Gore would have won them as your number one choice. were three major candidates, Lon- the election. This also might have Then, you might rank candidate B as don Breed, Mark Leno, and Jane happened in the 2016 election with your second choice. Then candidate Kim. Breed is a more conservative, Hillary Clinton and Jill Stein, though C as your third. This goes on until pro-business candidate, though she is not as certainly. you don’t want to vote for anyone a democrat. Leno and Kim are more The system typically doesn’t else, where you would leave those progressive. elect as radical politicians as the spaces blank, or when the number of In a traditional voting sys- current system does. This could ei- candidates on the ballot runs out. tem, the candidates would attack ther be seen as a perk or a draw- Most people leave at least one box one another and compete for the back. There were points in American blank, if not more. greatest amount of votes. It would history where great social change When the votes are tallied, be “Vote for ME and not my oppo- was needed, including the civil rights the number one ballots are counted nent”. But in a rank-choice system, a movement and LGBTQ movement. first. This means that, for now, the campaign can be more like this: “I’d Perhaps a rank-choice system would tally is only based on the candidate like to be your first choice, but if I not have elected people who enact- everyone ranked first, the same way can’t, then I’ll be your second ed such change. However, many votes are counted in America. If the choice.” people believe that in this time of candidate with the highest amount of Since Leno and Kim had sim- polarized politics, any system that first choice votes has over 50% of all ilar political beliefs and wanted the will incentivize politicians to lean the votes, the voting ends right then other to get elected if they didn’t more towards the middle ground and there. win, they made an unexpected could be helpful. In addition, this sys- If no one holds a majority, a campaign move. Together, they told tem by nature lessens the hate be- second round begins. The candidate voters that, of course they wanted tween candidates, which could also with the lowest amount of first- to be their first choice, but whichev- be a good thing. choice votes is eliminated, and all the er person was not the voters first voters who put that eliminated can- choice should be put as their second VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 8

A fraction of Bolsonaro’s sup- ican history, and it helped them feel The Brazilian porters are aware that his views are like Americans. excessively radical, but they are thor- Angelo Vivo is the president Election of oughly convinced that there is no oth- of Columbus Citizens Foundation, a Jair Bolsonaro er alternative. Many voters are not group for Italian Americans. He de- substantially looking for a left-wing or fended the statue saying, “ … Italian by Ayesha Taj right-wing candidate - just one that American ancestors faced bigotry and Jair Bolsonaro is an unavoidable name they believe can save the nation. discrimination. They were proud of in Brazilian politics today, and it has Some critics have described Columbus because he was celebrated been for a the election of the conservative fascist across America.”(Newsela). Many Ital- few years sympathizer to be a rise of a rightist ian Americans were proud of Colum- now. After zeitgeist in a time of intense econom- bus because his accomplishment election day ic, social, and political changes. brought great honor to Spain. Colum- on October Bolsonaro’s election has, bus’s voyage helped Europeans colo- 7, 2018, of course, been the root of many lib- nize in the Americas and encouraged Bolsonaro eral protests. It induced an emergence many explorers to discover the New was de- of leftists, especially younger ones. In World. clared the 2016, low-income teenagers took up On the contrary, many people leading can public high schools across the nation. oppose this phenomenon and state idate in the Female teenagers were the main pro- that Columbus brought chaos into the elections. tagonists of these protests, which New World and took indigenous He is now made way for the slogan “fight like a people, the Native Americans, as preparing girl.” Amid this pessimistic scenario, slaves and took them to Europe. Jose to take of- there are still some hopeful leftist par- Simmen from the Bronx stated that “ fice on January 1. Ever since, his ho- ties that are managing to instigate an It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take it mophobic, sexist, and misogynistic anti-fascist front. Feminists are trying down. He brought slavery into this rhetoric has sparked even more pro- to promote a national alliance against country., but he also founded it.” test and outrage. Bolsonaro has criti- Bolsonaro. There was a march against Many people agree with the removal cized the Paris climate agreement, a fascism which consisted of millions of of the statue, but some do not know deal which works to battle climate women and minorities. These pro- who would take the place of the change. He is a strong anti-communist tests have the potential to reorganize statue. who admires autocrats and has made the left in the next few tempestuous Although many people agree violent threats towards the Workers' years. and an equal amount disagree, there remain many that have mixed feel- Party (PT). Many media sources have compared Bolsonaro to United States ings on this issue. One man who President Donald Trump because of used to live in New York said, “ I their shared rightist views, although Removal have mixed feelings, and I understand Bolsonaro’s views are much more how this whole white supremacy thing extremist. Of Columbus is being tied to these statues, I un- Many people have failed to by Tauba Ashrafi derstand the symbolism, but no statue fathom why Brazil would elect such a has ever bothered me. I’ve never far-right candidate. His triumph in the New York City- Mayor Bill de looked at a statue of Robert E. Lee elections can be traced back to the Blasio of New York City declared that and thought, “Hey, he was a good same wave of populism that had he would remove the famous statue guy!”. The man that stated this knows Trump elected. His radical anti-leftist of Christopher Columbus in Manhat- about the hate and white supremacy, rhetoric appealed to the well- tan. Some people say that the statue but if we were to remove the statue educated middle class men of Brazil. was a symbol of hate and encouraged who would we replace him. Washing- Bolsonaro has promised to "make white supremacy. White supremacy ton, Lincoln? When would this end? Brazil great again" by cleansing the is the idea that white people are bet- country of corrupt establishment ter than any other race. However, elites and has relied on attacking mi- Italian American groups argued that norities and fabricated lofty promises. Columbus was a crucial part of Amer- VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 9 Why Is New York City Called The “Big Apple”? by Rachel Chen

Have you ever wondered why New York City is called the “Big Apple”? After all, why is the most populous city in the United States nicknamed after a fruit? This article will be looking at NYC in depth to explain why and how this name came to be. Besides the “Big Apple,” NYC actually has many nicknames, such as “The City That Never Sleeps,” “The Center of the Universe,” and “The City So Nice, They Named It Twice,” to name a few. In fact, before NYC was called the “Big Apple,” it was known shortly as “New Orange” in honor of William Ⅲ of Orange after being captured by the Dutch. Although New York is the top apple growing state in the United States, NYC isn’t called the “Big Apple” because of that. The name was first introduced in the 1920s, by a man named John J. Fitz Gerald. He worked for a newspaper called the New York Morning Telegraph as a sports writer, and mentioned the “Big Apple” frequently in his articles. The name grew more popular later in the 1970s because of tourism campaigns that were meant to make New York look better. During that time, NYC had high crime rates and economic problems. At first, John Fitz Gerald only used the “Big Apple” in articles about horse-racing, but later on, people started using the name more often in other cases besides horse-racing. “The Big Apple” became a popular song in the 1980s, and it had its own unique dance as well. In 1997, the southwest corner of 54th Street and Broadway was designated as the “Big Apple Corner” after Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani signed a law because that was where John Fitz Gerald had lived from 1934 to 1963. To show how this nickname grew in terms of popularity, President Donald Trump even hosted a party after his election in 2016 that he called “The Big Apple Ball.” The name has also been used for other events such as the Big Apple Theater Festival, the Big Apple Comic Con, the Big Apple Anime Fest, and more.

What the Bell?! by Amber Almonte

Down below is a poll on the new bells in the middle school. Fellow classmates took this poll to determine what this bell was really about teachers were also asked on this topic. There was one main question being asked between the teachers and students of Woodmere Middle School. The question asked was, do you tolerate, dislike, or love the new bells the Woodmere Middle School has been testing out? Check out the results below:

VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 10

their intake to get the same effects. Too What To ‘Brew’ While to a kid, one cup may have been satisfying in the be- Tight About This ginning, to get the same effect a Coffee Issue couple weeks later may take three To Fit or possibly five. After students bod- by Aryana Borjas by Amber Almonte ies become used to the coffee, they Coffee is everywhere now- start to crave it. adays, but is this an issue that has Many students and So going as little as one been brewing for a while now? teachers of Woodmere Middle morning without it can lead to mi- From bottled Starbucks School have been talking and graines, drowsiness, dizziness and drinks in every convenience store it's not all good. The students lightheadedness. But, this is only in to every restaurant drink menu, of the school believe a staircase certain cases and not everyone coffee is everywhere. Students at in the school labeled the mid- who drinks coffee is guaranteed to Woodmere Middle School frequent dle staircase has been a daunt- suffer from these effects. But, the the local Starbucks down the street ing task to get up and down majority of students don’t drink to get their caffeine fix every morn- every day. The students com- coffee because they only got 2 ing and afternoon. plain of not being able to get up hours of sleep last night, they drink Certain students take this the staircase due to the patrol it to be “trendy”. This is a super to extreme by drinking their bodies of teachers. One student says, common trend with between 34 with strong energy drinks such as “I wish the staircase was just and 51 percent of teens regularly Monster or Red Bull. While coffee bigger it's so frustrating to go drinking some form of caffeine. isn’t as strong as these energy up it with everyone pushing”. But honestly, middle school drinks, it still has an effect. Students Many employees of the school students, around 10 - 14, are old may drink coffee to get a quick en- try to regulate the task of enough and mature enough to ergy boost in the morning, right clearing the staircase but still know that having seven shots of before that big test, but these stu- find it a hard task to achieve. espresso everyday is unhealthy. It’s dents can quickly become addicted. Also, one private teacher highly unlikely that everyone who Studies show that drinking source states, “ Yes, we should stops at Starbucks is a caffeine ad- as little as 100 mg of caffeine a day make the middle staircase wid- dict, they’re probably there just to can easily cause an addiction. Also, er because a lot of children taste the new Caramel Brulee the more coffee students drink, the seem to be getting caught in it” Latte. higher their tolerance becomes, when asked the question “Do you think the middle staircase meaning that they will have to up affects the children in the school”? Many don't know how to fix or at least coup with the situation. This leads to ill efforts of controlling the problem. Our private source also adds, “Yes, but there are budg- et constraints that are out of my hands” obviously making people feel very useless or una- ble to help when it comes to the topic. Overall, many agree that there must be something to aid or help the problem, but for now, the students and teachers can't find a way to fix the problem. VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 11

On the other hand, we have the Internet. Bill Op-Ed: Books vs. the Gates, a business magnate and the creator of Microsoft Corporation, once said, “The Internet is becoming the Internet town square for the global village of tomorrow.” Peo- by Rachel Chen ple favor the Internet over books because it saves the time and effort needed to read a book. Despite some- What do you do when you need some infor- times having wrong or inaccurate information, the In- mation, whether you need it for a school project or ternet also has the most recent information, which just because you’re curious? You probably either bor- would mean books on a certain topic would be outdat- row a book from the library or search it up on the In- ed in terms of information. ternet. But how do you know which one is better? This In Internet versus Books, an essay by an un- article will be discussing the heated debate between known author, it states, “Moreover, a lot of paper is books and the Internet, seen from both sides of the wasted in the creation of books and magazines. Defor- argument. estation, being one of the greatest threats that humans On one hand, we have books. As quoted by are facing today, is increased by the production of pa- Northrop Frye, a literary critic and theorist who lived per in books.” This shows that books bring other is- from 1912 to 1991, “The most technologically efficient sues into the picture, and that access to information is machine that man has ever invented is the book.” Some not the only problem with books. "Internet searching people argue that the Internet doesn’t always have ac- engages complicated brain activity, which may help ex- curate information and is “like a vast uncatalogued li- ercise and improve brain function.” said principal inves- brary”, according to 10 Reasons Why the Internet Is tigator Dr. Gary Small, a professor at the Semel Insti- No Substitute for a Library, an article by Mark Y. Her- tute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the Uni- ring. As stated in Books Vs The Internet: A Compre- versity of California. hensive Study, an article by OSA Webmaster Nine, Both books and the Internet are great ways to “Reading books has less harmful effects on our eyesight get information, but when I am personally curious as compared to reading online at a computer.” about a certain rnet if my answer is a short answer Other reasons why people prefer to read question or is about a recent issue, such as, “What is books rather than search information up on the inter- the weather today?” or “What is the capital of the net are because reading is a valuable way to self- United States of America?” something like a vast topic educate yourself and because books have knowledge or an animal, I would definitely check out a book from that people before us have written down so that the the library. information could be used in the future. There are, of course, many other reasons why people like reading books better, but these are just to name a few. VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 12

TECHNOLOGY failed at eventually? These bacteriophages will have to be Bacteriophages: Deadly Virus bred into full effectivity, and will have to be weaponized for or Our Future? by Ethan Abelev use inside the human bodies, but if these special viruses can As antibiotics are used more and more, bacteria overcome this, they could be the heroes of future medicine. begin to develop resistances, and even immunities, to the chemicals. These special bacteria are known as superbugs. Elon Musk’s BFR Launch As they spread, antibiotics become less and less useful. Yet, by Alexander Hassine these antibiotics remain just as necessary. In order to coun- In September 2018, Elon Musk, a wealthy investor ter this, something new is required: bacteriophages. and CEO of many prominent companies, including Tesla, Bacteriophages are quite ironic. They are responsi- and his manufacturer SpaceX, funded a rocket launch called ble for the death of more living beings than anything else. Big Falcon Rocket, shortened to BFR. This rocket is a fully However, this hardly hurts humans. Bacteriophages are reusable spacecraft and launch vehicle. SpaceX has been virtually viruses, with one large difference from the rest- working on this vehicle for many years and it has gone they only kill bacteria. As any virus would, the bacterio- through a variety of revisions over time. Elon Musk’s goal is phage finds a suitable host, attaches to it, and injects itself to create a type of transportation called the Interplanetary into the cell. It then uses the cell’s own functions to pro- Transport System. duce more of the virus’ material. The bacteriophage sub- The BFR system is intended to fully replace all of stance is then assembled, and the cell bursts, releasing all of SpaceX's existing space hardware. This project cost 5 billion the new bacteriophages, and killing the host cell in the pro- US dollars and has several functions, such as Mars coloniza- cess. In this case, the host cell is a specific bacteria that pos- tion, Earth-lunar transport, multi-planetary transport, inter- sesses a certain molecule, which attracts a corresponding continental transport, and space tourism. The estimated bacteriophage species. In the sense of targeting only certain cost per flight if this does become a system of transporta- bacteria, the bacteriophage acts in a very similar way to anti- tion is 7 million US dollars. The height of the rocket is 387 biotics. In reality, however, the truth is anything but- and feet. The approximate diameter of the BFR is 30 feet. The that is a good thing. estimated mass of the rocket is 9.7 million pounds. The Antibiotics, on a basic level, kill bacteria, or prevent rocket is still in development; however, the first flight is their reproduction. This seems useful at first, but it is not planned for 2020. without weakness. This method does not discriminate Elon Musk’s ultimate goal is to colonize Mars and against certain bacteria, even those that are beneficial to our grow plants, thereby allowing human exploration. The BFR health. They assist with digestion, among other things, and design combines many elements which, according to Musk they are just as vulnerable to antibiotics as normal bacteria. will make long-duration beyond Earth Orbit space flights Killing off beneficial bacteria can cause a multitude of other possible. Elon Musk also stated that the BFR will take any- illnesses, such as impaired digestion, vitamin loss, increase in one to most places on Earth in under 30 minutes and any- infections, and more. Meanwhile, bacteriophages only target where else in under one hour. What does all this mean? designated cells, and they are harmless to human cells and Well, most recently Yusaku Maezawa, who is one of the top benevolent bacteria. In addition, it is possible that the twenty wealthiest people in Japan, has signed up to be greater the antibiotic resistance in bacteria, the weaker they SpaceX's first paying customer! He is projected to take a are to bacteriophages, and vice versa, so bacteriophages will BFR-propelled trip around the moon as early as sometime not run aground as antibiotics have, at least for a while. in 2023. The entrepreneur and big art enthusiast, Maezawa What’s more, bacteriophages can evolve alongside the bac- will become the first private citizen on a flight to the moon. teria to avoid losing their effectiveness. To add to that, bac- Both Musk and Maezawa said that he would take six to eight teriophages multiply, as any virus would, so only a few are artists with him so that works inspired by the trip would required to cure a bacterial disease. A man with a life- capture imaginations back on Earth. These works and or threatening disease was saved after the bacteriophages for images will then be shared via live stream to us Earthlings. his disease were fished out of a lake and bred to a new level SpaceX will not disclose just exactly how much Maezawa of power. Countries such as Russia and Georgia, and even paid for this special flight to the moon, but CEO Elon Poland, to a small extent, use phage therapy, or the treat- Musk said his down payment “will have a material effect ment of disease with bacteriophages, when antibiotics can’t on paying for the BFR”. The company estimates that the function properly. However, bacteriophages remain relative- reusable rocket should cost about $5 billion to develop. ly mysterious and somewhat untested. So, if you’ve got some spare change lying around, nows a This is the final question. Will bacteriophages be good time to sign up for a trip to the moon. Who's next? able to step up to the challenge and do what antibiotics VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 13

TECHNOLOGY

The Mars “Ring-Ring” I See You Landing: by Alexander Hassine

NASA’s The Ring doorbell was first introduced on a little show called SHARK TANK. And millions of dollars later, Successful the Ring is being installed in countless homes across the country. Ring doorbells are doorbells that an individual InSight can electronically connect with their phone or electronic device in order to receive alerts when the doorbell is Probe Descent rang. In addition, the Ring doorbell can sense motion by Simon Kupchik with its motion sensors. This astronomical object is made up of dust and moonlets. The Ring doorbell system On November 26th, the InSight lander, NASA’s is most commonly known for offering better protection. most recent effort to explore Mars, landed successfully. This system ultimately provides alerts warning the Cheers erupted in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasa- residents of incoming people, especially unwanted intrud- dena, CA, where the operators of the spacecraft watched ers. Users and residents of the home can also interact with anticipation for images to be sent back from the with the people at their doorstep. lander to prove its successful landing on Mars’ surface. This works because the Ring doorbell system The landing was the culmination of a 6-month flight incorporates outdoor motion based cameras and door- through space and a journey of more than 300 million bells, such as the Ring video doorbell . This device allows miles. the control of all, front, back, and side doors of a home. The InSight will go on to study the underworld of And the Ring application starts a video call to a connect- Mars, listening for marsquakes, or tremors, and recording ed electronic device when the doorbell is pressed. information that will be pieced together as a map for the interior of Mars. It will help scientists better understand how Mars and other similar rocky planets had formed, including Earth. The main mission of the InSight spacecraft--to go into Mars’ cave system to send photographs of the inside of Mars-- will not take place for several months, and when the mission begins, the spacecraft’s primary mission will last for about two years. The tremors that the InSight will be studying are not caused by tectonic plates like Earth, but instead are caused by cracks in the crust due to Mars’ core shrinking and cool- ing. The seismometer that will be placed by InSight will study all information about the marsquakes. The heat of the planet’s core will also be studied using a heat probe that will be placed into the surface of Mars by InSight. This successful landing of InSight is the first step toward clearing up a lot of misinformation about Mars and other planets that was unknown, until now. People will be able to learn about Mars and about its interior, so if humans ever intend on journeying to Mars, we will know what to expect from the terrain and cave systems.

VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 14

being tested to treat diseases such as Although that is not news stations like Stem Cells- Are Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, CNN like Trump says, but they are which would be major breakthroughs more under the radar. The most com- They the Cure? in medical science. mon places to find them are on social by Ethan Abelev Today, a surprising amount of condi- media sites like Facebook. They are tions cannot be cured, but stem cells often in styles like conspiracy theo- Have you ever wondered are looking to change that. Their in- ries, and are all too effective on the where all of the trillions of cells in credible regenerative powers, coupled general public. They have been know your body originate? Surprisingly, with unmatched versatility, means that to be used in politics and many sup- they aren’t even born as what they they can be utilized in virtually any porters of politics, like Trump, to are; your skin cells, for example, de- treatment. Scientists are working to spread fake stories to undermine their veloped into skin cells later in their implement these stem cells within enemies. Some examples are that 5G life. There is one type of cell that many cures, so who knows what’ll be is radioactive and is killing birds, or transforms into all other cells, and is in your medicine in a few years? that NASA is covering up information also capable of treating countless dis- that proves that the Earth is flat, and eases and even slowing aging- they are that Minneapolis created a “Sharia” called stem cells. hotline to report anyone that criti- Stem cells are cells that grow cizes Islam. None of this are true, but into specific cells, depending on what we still see stories like this. In fact, the body requires. They can be found Doctored Photos the FBI believes that the Russians used in bone marrow, adipose tissue (fat), fake accounts to spread fake news to and blood, including blood from the and Fake Stories meddle in the 2018 election. The third umbilical cord. When stem cells are type of fake news aren't really stories harvested from the blood, they are by Omer Rana at all, they are photoshopped or doc- extracted through a process called tored photos. apheresis, and the rest of the blood is We encounter forms of media all the time, we see it on our phones, These photoshops are made returned. They can then be applied as for malevolent reasons and they can a treatment to numerous conditions. we read it in the newspapers and we watch it on television. We trust it to include making people look bad or Already, stem cells are used to assist making some look good by making it people with blindness and injury. be accurate and truthful and we don’t bat an eye to make sure that is the look like they did something they real- Harvested stem cells can be injected ly didn’t. One example is of Emma into the damaged cornea of the eye, case. This means that people are sus- ceptible to inaccurate news stories Gonzalez, a student who survived the which is the part covering the pupil Parkland shooting was subjected to and iris. The stem cells convert into and articles. It’s bad enough when an article is wrong, it is worse when they unjust controversy after someone cornea cells, regenerating the eye, and photoshopped a picture of her ripping even restoring vision. This can be are created for the sole purpose of tricking you into believing something up a copy of the constitution. The done with human injury as well, with original photo was of her tearing up a stem cells rapidly growing back the that has no root in reality. These are called by many names, based on what gun target to protest guns. wounded tissue. They can also ease People saw the photoshopped pain. form of deception they use to trick you. Clickbait is when a story has a image and thought that it was the real Other interesting ways they deal. People believe that it was creat- are being used include tooth growth. bold shocking title or a flashy picture that serves as “bait” that plays with ed by anti gun control activists to cre- Rodent teeth have successfully been ate controversy on the myth that gun grown, and they are already on the your mind, in order to make you “click” on it. This kinds of tactics are control is unconstitutional. In conclu- market to treat other animals in many sion, fake news is a real problem in ways, including those already men- seen primarily on places like YouTube, Facebook, and sites like our world. People try to deceive oth- tioned for humans. Stem cells are be- ers for their own gain and we can ing tested for many novel purposes as BuzzFeed. They can range from a sa- tirical article or an insane rant about a stop this by just rereading articles and well. fact checking them. In the future, these wonder conspiracy to destroy the world and establish a “new world order”. The cells could be used in anything from anti-aging agents to memory loss and second kind of bait is a more harmful and mainstream problem, fake news. heart disease treatments. They are VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 15 Technology to 3D computer animation, like Pixar movies. The actual idea, however, of this was made long before the rise of cinema. Experimenters in the early 1800s discovered the property of “persistence of vision,” in which fast-changing images create “movement.” One of the first devices to take advantage of this was the “phenakistoscope,” invented by Joseph Plateau. It was a cardboard disk that, when spun, made images appear to move when viewed in a mir- ror. Another popular device was the “zoetrope,” which was a rotating drum with pictures inside which combined when spun. With the invention of the film projector, anima-

From Mickey Mouse To CGI: A History of Animation by Brian Chen

Animation is a huge part of pop culture, finding its way into every episode of that TV show and every movie in that series. We have all heard of Pixar animated movies like Toy Story and Frozen, but computer animation also gives us that Troll in Harry Potter and that space fight in Star Wars. We can not argue about its popularity, but how did this process of making inanimate objects move begin? Animation is defined as the showing of slightly tion could progress greatly. One of the earliest film-based different pictures in rapid succession to create the illusion animators was J. Stuart Blackton. His first production of of movement. If the images are changing fast and smooth “Humorous Phases of Funny Faces,” which launched in enough, the human eye can perceive this as actual mov- 1906, paved the way for more successful movies from ing. There are many forms of this in our movies and TV the Vitagraph Company. Blackton also experimented shows, including illustrated cartoons, like Looney Toons, with stop-motion, the process of photographing something, moving the subject slightly, and photographing again, enough times to make animation.

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Technology

of destruction as well. However, carborane acid is one of the safest, and non-corrosive acids, especially considering The Strongest Acids On its acidity. It can be stored in a regular bottle, and can sometimes even be handled with bare hands. Carborane Earth? acid is excellent at stopping corrosive substances, due to by Ethan Abelev its peaceful nature. It can be found in Teflon, which coats frying pans, so that your breakfast doesn’t stick to it. Car- All liquids have a certain acidity. This can be meas- borane acid is not common, but is virtually the only eco- ured on something called a pH scale. Generally, the pH nomically logical material to counter the wrath of fluoro- scale exhibits values between 0 and 14, with the lower antimonic acid. values acidic, and the higher ones are basic, or alkaline. The only acid stronger than carborane acid, be- This is the opposite of acidity. Liquids at 7 pH are neutral, sides fluoroantimonic acid, is magic acid, but whether it such as water. For comparison, a substance 1 pH lower is aptly named or not is up for debate. At certain concen- than another is 10 times more acidic. In addition, there is trations it can have a pH of -19.2. Magic acid is ridiculous- technically no limit to the pH scale, so a negative pH, for ly corrosive, able to dissolve certain types of extremely the most acidic substances, exists. Acids can be character- non-corrosive candle wax, hence the name “magic.” This ised by their sour taste. Hydrochloric acid, for example, is was discovered accidentally after a candle was dissolved at an extremely acidic substance that can cause severe inju- a professor’s Christmas party. ry, and has a pH rating between 0 and 1, when highly con- In the end, there are some very potent acids, with centrated. But, how bad can hydrochloric acid be when an some very surprising properties. Fluoroantimonic acid, acid called fluoroantimonic acid could have a pH of - the most acidic acid, is capable of destruction with its 31.3? fumes alone, let alone the actual liquid. Carborane acid is Fluoroantimonic acid is the Earth’s most powerful so non-corrosive, that it is even capable of eliminating the acid. In many movies, acids are capable of burning through dissolving powers of some of the world’s most acidic sub- materials. However, this acid can not only burn through stances. And finally, magic acid, corrosive enough to force nearly anything with just a drop, but produce extremely some of the most dissolve-resistant substances into sub- toxic fumes that can be devastating. Formed from a mix- mission. These are the three most acidic substances on ture of two other powerful acids called hydrofluoric acid Earth, but there may be more, ready to be discovered. (which can dissolve glass by itself) and antimony pentafluo- But, in the meantime, it’s doubtful that you’ll ever think of ride, this acid explosively decomposes when it meets wa- lemon juice as sour again. ter. Officially a superacid, fluoroantimonic acid is even more dangerous than it sounds- and it sounds deadly. Surprisingly, this acid is actually used in certain industries, specifically chemical engineering. It is capable of causing certain bonds with protons, which are parts of an atom. However, storing isn’t an easy task, for obvious reasons. Glass and metal won’t work- this acid will just dissolve them with great ease. Special materials are required to store this acid, though you might even find them in your kitchen- on your frying pan, to be exact. Carborane acid is also one of the most acidic substances in the world, behind the aforementioned fluoroantimonic acid. With a pH reach- ing -18, still many times greater than other powerful acids, this might seem like a weapon VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 17

Favorite “YouTuber” Survey by Kayleigh Jamieson

We surveyed 6th, 7th and 8th graders about their favorite YouTubers. They had the following YouTu- bers to choose from: Pewdiepie, Dude Perfect, KK with Beyblades, Ali-A or Odd1sout. Pewdiepie is known for his gaming and reaction content. Dude by Max Berger Perfect’s channel is dedicated to sports challenges. In addition, there is a Dude Perfect show on Nickelode- i tried to chase the sun on. KK with Beyblades focuses her channel on bey- hoping it would blades challenges, gaming and parodies. Ali-A is a lead me to you gamer and many think of him as Clickbait. Finally, but instead Odd1sout does animation videos once per month. i got burned The results are as follows: ~ sunburned

Pewdiepie 20 votes Dude Perfect 90 votes if i stay tonight Kk with Beyblades 45 votes and if i choose to love you Ali-A 5 votes is there a chance Odd1sout 35 votes that beneath the stars

that we could share the moon? ~ lunar eclipse

i can never

outrun the moon chasing after you ~i don’t believe in miracles VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 18

Book Series: Sophie now has to relearn ied in the back of her mind that she everything the Elvin way and her can't control. Keeper of the "homecoming” there is not as great Many people desperately Lost Cities as she planned. want those secrets. They would even by Nicole Jasmin Many elves mistreated her kill for them. and were not thrilled about her ex-

Keeper of the Lost Cities is istence. Sophie was still an outcast, a book series that tells the thrilling even in the world she belonged in. story about Sophie Foster’s life, a girl

The real question is why was living in the wrong world. Sophie is just like any other girl. She goes to she in the human world if she is an school, has a mother and father, sis- elf? Who created her? What hap- ter and a cat. Well, at least it seems pened? Sophie has many secrets bur- that way from the outside. Sophie has the ability to hear people’s thoughts. She doesn’t know how she got the ability or what caused it, all she knows is that she has it. And no one knows. Not even her family. It made her feel like an outcast. On a school field trip she meets a beautiful blue eyed boy named Fitz. Unexpectedly Sophie finds out that Fitz can read minds, just like her. After a couple of shocking minutes Fitz tells Sophie where they really belong, Eternalia the Eviln world. She then has to leave her human family and everything she has ever had behind in order to come to the place where she belongs. VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 19 Aide McCormack by Emily Elkinyuk

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Must Reads by Sidrah Ashrafi

Counting By 7’s The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini By Holly Goldberg Sloan Afghani immigrant Amir is summoned from his California Willow Chance is a 12- home to Pakistan by Rahim Khan, an old, dying friend of year-old genius who is ob- his father. As a boy in Afghanistan, wealthy Amir was sessed with nature, diag- best friends with servant's son Hassan, but when Hassan nosing medical conditions was brutally assaulted by a local bully, Amir was too and finds it comforting to count by seven’s. It has scared to save him and has never been easy for her to been tormented by guilt connect with others with ever since and how he re- the exception of her adop- pays his friend for letting tive family and she learns to him go through this ordeal. live a happy life with them...until now. Tragedy RECOMMENDED FOR strikes and both of her parents end up dying in a car crash. But, despite this fact, Willow perseveres and man- THOSE WHO ENJOYED: ages to push through her grief and learns the true meaning of family. The Boy in the Striped Pa- RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE WHO ENJOYED: jamas by John Boyne

Wonder by R.J Palacio The Space Between Us by Out of my Mind Sharon M. Draper Thrity Umrigar

Echo By Pam Munoz Ryan The Other Boy By M.G Hennessey Shane Woods is just a regular boy who loves pitch- Lost in a forest, Otto meets three mysterious girls and ing for his baseball team, working on his graphic finds himself entwined in a prophecy, a promise, and a novel, and hanging out with his best friend, Josh. harmonica. Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California come in contact with But Shane is keeping something private, something the same harmonica and caught up in the same thread of that might make a difference to his friends and destiny in the darkest days of the twentieth century. teammates, even Josh. And when a classmate They all have to keep their families intact and are tied threatens to reveal his secret, Shane’s whole world together by the music of the comes crashing down. It harmonica. will take a lot of courage for Shane to ignore the RECOMMENDED FOR hate and show the world THOSE WHO ENJOYED: that he’s still the same boy he was before. The War that Saved my Life

by Kimberly Bradly RECOMMENDED FOR The Madman of Piney Woods THOSE WHO ENJOYED by Christopher Curtis George by Alex Gino

Drama by Raina Tele- geimer VOLUME III, ISSUE II THE BOULEVARD PAGE 21