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Back to Artwork Art Guild Back to Sections Devils Throughout Time By Gilana Etame November 24, 2020 Acrylic Volume 1 Issue 2

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections Social Media By Christiana Fredriks Volume 1 Issue 5 February 12, 2021 Original artwork by Christiana Fredriks It’s no secret that the media can be a good and bad place, and since we all have it in everyday life - from our phones to laptops and other tech devices - everyone has a different opinion on it. Influencers, celebrities, and the public all have a platform on social media. Some people use their platform to spread negativity to others, while some use it to spread positivity and promote change. Here Is what a few people had to say about this: In your opinion is the internet worth the world attention? “Yes, search engines like Google give us the ability to know anything just by the click of a button. The internet gives us the ability to communicate from anywhere around the world. In previous decades people had to wait for a newspaper, now we can see the news from an App.” -Isabella Menjivar What is the meaning of a “cyber bully” in your opinion? “I personally think that online bullying and bullying isn't acceptable and should no way be tolerated; however, in my individual experience I don't take it to heart. I don't view bullying through a screen is much different from bullying someone face to face. They both negatively impact the victim. The media spread like wildfire, and soon enough even a lie that the bully makes up could seem real on the internet. Social medias would gossip no matter if it's a credible source.” -Annie Diep What is your opinion on social media? “Right now, my opinion on social media isn't so great. Lately we've seen the removal of many prominent figures. from social media, like Mike Lindell and others, from social media. Big Tech and other social media groups seem to lately not be so fond of certain center-right individuals and have removed certain people spreading that type of ideology. I currently am a member of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram, and I can tell you that Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey need to do better than they are now.” -Logan T. Balsan In your opinion, is social media a good or bad influence? “Social Media can be a bad influence if you're not careful. You can easily be influenced by toxic people and never know it, especially if they have a big following.” -Nora Chery In your opinion is the internet a safe space? “Mostly yes, I think if people are careful with their internet behavior, the internet is generally safe.” -John P. McCarthy Here is the simple truth, the internet can be what you make it. Remember the saying: “you have control over one person, and one person only.” If you take that knowledge and apply it in this situation, it almost means the same thing. The internet is what you make it it can be safe for you and bad for others or safe for others and bad for you. It all depends on how you use it. And at the end of the day, you either learn something or you don’t. -Huge thank you to Nora Chery, Annie Diep, Logan T. Balsan, Isabella Menjivar, and John P. McCarthy- BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Sports Back to Sections Nassau County Sports on Hold By Joseph Garofalo Volume 1 Issue 2 November 24, 2020 Original photo from VSN Spartans Instagram On August 26th, 2020, many student-athletes were left unsettled after hearing the dreadful news that all Nassau County sports would be postponed till the beginning of 2021. As the season was originally postponed from the start date of August 26th to September 4th, many students were hopeful that with guidance given by Governor Andrew Cuomo, they would be able to return to some normalcy after the devastating cancellation of their Spring season due to the novel coronavirus. As Nassau was the first county to postpone sports in New York State, Suffolk and Westchester counties followed similar protocols to protect the well-being of athletes and coaches alike. Per Nassau County’s Section 8 athletics guidelines, January 4th, 2021 is the official restart date for Sports on Long Island. This will be the beginning of the Winter Sports season which includes indoor Track and Field, Basketball, Wrestling, Competitive Cheerleading, Bowling, Fencing, Rifle and Gymnastics at Valley Stream North. The season to follow would be the belated Fall season beginning on March 1st, 2021. This includes include Football, Soccer, Cross Country, Volleyball, Girls Tennis, and Sideline Cheer. The final season beginning on April 22nd, 2021 would be the delayed Spring season which includes Lacrosse, Baseball, Softball, Outdoor Track and Field, Badminton, and Boys Tennis. Due to this delay, the Spring sports season is expected to finish on June 14th, 2020, a week before New York State proctors their Regents Exams. Even so, coaches of all seasons encourage their student-athletes to continue training and staying in shape, as the seasons will be starting again soon. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Black American Artists Back to Sections New York in Transit II By Jacob Lawrence February 12, 2021 Volume 1 Issue 5 Medium: Color Screenprint, Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections A Fresh Start Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 4 Issue 1 November 6, 2023 Image provided by Adobe Stock To high schoolers young, both near and far, Listen closely to this guiding star, For life's a journey, a winding art, A chance for each, a fresh, bright start.   Ninth graders, so new, like buds in spring, With eagerness and dreams to bring, Embrace the change, step forth with might, You're on a journey, take that flight.   Tenth graders, finding your path's delight, Explore and learn, day and night, Your roots are growing, strong and deep, A fresh start's promise, your dreams to keep.   Eleventh graders, the weight of choices near, Embrace the challenges without fear, Your future beckons, a canvas blank, Put in the hard work now, later you’ll thank.   Twelfth graders, it's your final bow, But a fresh start awaits, as you go now, You're on the cusp of something grand, Hold your dreams tight, in your hand.   To high schoolers, in this new day's light, A fresh start awaits, so shining and bright, With courage, kindness, and dreams to impart, Embrace the journey, it's a fresh, new start. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Science & Technology Back to Sections The Black Hole – A Dark Phenomenon By Elyas Layachi Volume 2 Issue 2 November 19, 2021 Image provided by Katie Bouman Introduction Ever since the telescope was invented in 1608 by Hans Lippershey, scientists have been making discoveries regarding the universe around us and our place in it. From determining the Earth's and planets' orbits around the sun to discovering that the universe is ever-expanding, we now know more about our universe than ever before in human history. However, most phenomena we have discovered are still theories, such as black holes. While scientists have laws, observations, and general ideas about what black holes are, they have not been limited in their ability to directly study them. History of Black Holes Black holes were originally theorized by astronomer and astrophysicist Karl Schwarzchild. However, Einstein's theory of relativity helped prove Schwarzschild's black hole theory. Using E = mc^2, Einstein theorized that gravity could behave like matter. This became known as Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, and it introduced space time, which adds a fourth dimension to the current dimensions of length, width, and depth: time. We cannot see space time directly, but black holes prove space time exists by “bending” the space time fabric. Schwarzschild, using Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, theorized that there comes a point where every particle, including light, becomes gravitationally trapped. He dubbed this point the “event horizon,” and he also theorized that as matter approaches the event horizon, time slows to a complete standstill. Several decades later, astronomers found evidence to support this theory, and named the systems they discovered black holes, since even light cannot escape them. Astronomers discovered Cygnus X-1, the first black hole discovered, by observing it suck gas and matter away from a blue supergiant star. This proved black holes have an immense gravitational force, and since scientists could not physically see the black hole, due to it trapping light past the event horizon, this proved Schwarzschild’s theory. Current Scientific Understanding Today, the current acceptable definition of a black hole is that it is a region of space time where gravity is so strong that nothing – no particles, or even electromagnetic radiation such as light – can escape it. According to NASA, black holes form when the center of a very massive star has so much gravitational force that it collapses upon itself. This causes a supernova, or an exploding star, that blasts parts of the star into space. Out of the supernova comes a black hole, which increases in size as it consumes more matter. Black holes have three parts, or layers: the outer and inner event horizon, and the point of singularity. The event horizon, both inner and outer portions, is the boundary around the mouth of the black hole, and once light passes this part, it can no longer escape the gravitational force of the black hole. The point of singularity, which is the inner region of the black hole, is the most massive part of the black hole. This region is the point in space time where the mass of the black hole is concentrated. Scientists theorize that the point of singularity has an infinite density and therefore is a point of infinite curvature of space time. At the center of our Milky Way galaxy exists a black hole named Sagittarius A, and all stars and star systems in our galaxy, including our solar system, orbit around the supermassive black hole. Astronomers Bruce Balick and Rober Brown used the U.S. National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s radio telescope to study the center of the Milky Way. They found that a small point, or central core, was emitting immensely powerful radio waves. With more observations, the astronomers concluded a supermassive black hole was at the center of the Milky Way. The Future of Black Hole Research Today, scientists use several satellites and tools to help them observe black holes, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the ASTRO-H Satellite, the Swift mission, and radio telescopes on Earth. In the future, scientists at NASA plan to develop more satellites and telescopes to study the relationship between gamma ray emissions and black hole gravity. I hope you learned something new about black holes! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections TikTok Ban in the United States Sahar Ali Volume 5 Issue 5 July 5, 2025 Image Provided by Sahar Ali JANUARY 2025 – On the evening of January 18th, users of the popular social media platform, TikTok, received a pop-up message that read “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” further adding that a U.S. law banned the app, yet President Trump was working on a solution to bring the app back to users. Many users of the app, including myself, were beyond upset; the app so many loved and relied on the most was gone. But why did this happen? U.S. lawmakers feared that TikTok threatened national security with its tie to China through ByteDance, the app’s parent company. According to The American University (AU), lawmakers were worried that ByteDance would share American user data or manipulate TikTok’s algorithm and release misinformation or propaganda against the United States; therefore, the app created fear amongst individuals, and many believe that it could be used as a tool for espionage. During TikTok’s hearing in front of the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar claimed that the app gathered “unprecedented amounts” of user data that can be used by China against the United States (CBS News). However, there is no noticeable evidence that TikTok shares users’ data with the Chinese government (AU). According to CBS News, Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky claimed, “Most of the reasons the government banned [TikTok] were based on accusations, not proof . . . [TikTok has] never been tried and found guilty of sharing information with the communist government.” As a result of these allegations, TikTok launched “Project Texas,” an initiative used to protect American user data. According to NPR, the social media platform spent $2 billion dollars to enforce the agreement which essentially “[walled] off any potential influence by Beijing by placing Austin-based Oracle as a supervisor of sorts over the data exchanged between ByteDance and TikTok.” TikTok had its appearance in the United States Supreme Court and was represented by lawyer Noel Francisco who “did not deny the potential national security risks,” instead claimed “I’m disputing the means that they have chosen” (CBS News). During the hearing, Justice Brett Kavanaugh claimed that Congress, along with the President, were worried about China’s access to millions of American teenagers’ and adults’ information who were on the app that could be used to develop Chinese spies and blackmail hundreds of people (CBS News). In early January, TikTok argued that the Supreme Court’s law to ban the app in the United States “[represented] an unprecedented suppression of free speech” (NPR). However, the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that “divestiture is necessary” in an effort to dissolve American lawmakers’ fears regarding what China can do with the information of users (NPR). The Supreme Court also found that Congress’s law was not unconstitutional. From 2017 until 2021, during his first term as President, Donald Trump aimed to get TikTok banned in the United States; now in his second term, Trump affirmed to keep the popular social media platform in the United States, which is apparent by the message TikTok displayed for American users when the app shut down that Saturday night. But TikTok’s ban was extremely short-lived. The following day, Sunday, January 19th, American users of TikTok were surprised to see that the app was no longer dark and was functioning as it regularly did less than 24 hours after the ban. Similarly to how a pop-up message appeared when TikTok was no longer available, the app presented a new pop-up that read “Welcome Back!” and thanked users for their patience. The message further claimed, “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” The social media platform’s revival was due to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump (Forbes). This executive order according to CNN Business would extend the ban by 75 days in hopes to get TikTok sold to an American owner. The future of TikTok remains rocky even after its revitalization in the United States just a day after it was inaccessible to users. Fortunately, the app did not stop working on April 5th, the deadline for the ban’s extension, but the search for an American owner continues for TikTok. SOURCES: https://www.npr.org/2025/01/18/nx-s1-5266146/tiktok-offline-supreme-court-ban https://www.american.edu/sis/news/20250123-national-security-and-the-tik-tok-ban.cfm https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-is-tiktok-being-banned-supreme-court-congress/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/esatdedezade/2025/01/20/tiktok-was-unbanned-after-just-12-hours-heres-why/ https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/01/tech/tiktok-ban-deadline-trump-what-to-expect BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Editorial Back to Sections Former New York Governor George Pataki Should Contest Incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2022 By Logan Balsan Volume 1 Issue 4 January 20, 2021 Image provided by Fox News Now that the 2020 Election Results were certified on January 6th, and Judge Merrick Garland was chosen to be President-Elect Biden’s Attorney General over Andrew Cuomo, Governor Cuomo will seek to achieve what his father, Mario Cuomo, could not: win a fourth term as Governor of New York. Cuomo has been a wreck for New York State from the start. Since 2014, according to Forbes , Cuomo pocketed over $6 million in campaign funds from State contractors in return for $7 billion in state funds. Not only is his office riddled in potential ethics violations during the normalcy before the pandemic, Governor Cuomo has also performed some questionable actions during the pandemic. For one, he fudged the true amount of COVID patients sent to nursing homes, only to downplay that the facilities were not required to take in COVID patients, while an order from his office said otherwise. This story was picked up by the left-leaning news outlet CNN. This poor leadership and policy-making abilities have been widespread throughout his three 4-year terms thus far. For example, his tax policies are driving thousands of New Yorkers out of State, forcing our congressional delegation to decrease by two seats, as projected by census approximations. New York would only send 25 Representatives, compared to the 27 we send currently. Cuomo even advocated to raise taxes in December of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. In a new proposal to legalize marijuana recreationally, the State would pocket over $300 million in excise taxes, officials familiar with the matter have stated. However, I will give a thumbs up to Cuomo for allowing us to attend school in-person, though, the cons do outweigh the pros. Who has been frequently vocal against Cuomo’s pandemic leadership abilities? Former Republican New York Governor George Pataki. Don’t know who George Pataki is? Let me give you some background. George Elmer Pataki, a Republican, is a politician who served in both chambers of the New York State legislature as well as Mayor of Peekskill, NY before catapulting into the Governor’s Office in 1995 after defeating popular New York Governor Mario Cuomo, who is also Andrew Cuomo’s father. Pataki served in the Governor’s Office during turbulent times: helping New York rebuild from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th. He also oversaw the construction of the Freedom Tower, beginning in 2006 under his Administration. Currently the most recent Republican to serve in the office, Pataki was able to appeal to both social conservatives and liberals as well as fiscal conservatives and liberals in his policy-making. Reading Pataki’s 2016 Presidential Campaign Platform, it is evident why he appealed to voters across both aisles. While the Republican Party has been labeled “pro-life”, Pataki believes in legalized abortions with limits. He has supported lowering taxes, as well as expanding Obamacare as the nation’s healthcare system. His views have crossed party lines, which is what undecided voters normally look for. Based on the realities under Cuomo’s administration, I think the New York State Republican Party should recruit Former Governor Pataki to run in 2022 against Governor Cuomo. He would be their party’s strongest contender, being a former Governor, and providing strong leadership during 9/11. While he has been out of the political arena for almost 13 years, and tried to jumpstart a campaign for President in 2016, the Republicans have the best candidate right in front of them. It is vital for our State that Cuomo lowers taxes, or that someone steps in and ousts him in 2022. Right now, I think our best option to pass such an action is George Pataki. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Art Guild Back to Sections RBG By Keren Dial November 24, 2020 Colored Pencil Volume 1 Issue 2

Back to Articles Sports Back to Sections My Predictions For The New York Knicks 2024-2025 NBA Season Yusuf Hamid Volume 5 Issue 2 November 25, 2024 Image Provided by Elaine Ching Predictions for The New York Knicks 2024-2025 NBA Season As the 2024-2025 NBA season starts, I wanted to share my prediction for the Knicks’ upcoming season. The Knicks made huge moves this current off-season by trading two superstars, Mikal Bridges and Karl Anthony Towns, and Jalen Brunson’s selfless move to take a $113 million pay cut (Brener, 2024). Their expectations, not just for Knicks fans, but for all NBA fans, are tremendous. It is vital to talk about the Knicks’ last season. The Knicks finished their regular season with a record of 50-32 and the second-best team in the east. While this is upstanding news, there was a “bitter pill” the Knicks had to swallow along the way. The Knicks’ starting power forward, Julius Randle, injured his shoulder on January 27th against the Miami Heat (Sam, 2023). Randle was not able to play for the rest of both the regular season and post season. This was devastating news to hear as a Knicks fan because Randle plays a key role on the team. Randle averaged 24 points, 5 assists, and 9.2 rebounds per game. To lose such a player like Randle felt like blowing out a tire while racing the Daytona 500. Luckily, the Knicks had a spare, Josh Hart. When Josh Hart was pushed to the starting role for the Knicks, he averaged 11.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 10.3 rebounds (Stat Muse). This statistic clearly showed the proverb, when one door closes, another door opens. Some Knicks fans even talked about trading Randle overall because Josh Hart was doing a better job at power forward and the uncertainty of Randle’s shoulder injury and how it would affect his ability to play basketball. When the Knicks entered the post season, they had to verse the 2023 MVP, Joel Embiid, and a menacing 76er team in the first round. It was a “dog fight” between these two teams, but overall, the Knicks beat the 76ers in 6 games. Beating the 76ers was a magnificent accomplishment for the Knicks, but they suffered injuries to Mitchell Robinson, Bojan Bogdanovic, and OG Anunoby. This hindered the possibility of the Knicks' chances of winning the NBA Finale. The Knicks then had to beat the Pacers in the second round. During this series, even more Knicks players got injured like Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. Even after facing these difficulties, the Knicks were able to take the Pacers to seven games, where they eventually lost and were eliminated from the playoffs. This was devastating news as a Knicks fan, knowing that the Knicks were expected to, at the bare minimum, make it to the Easter Conference Finals, but were affected immensely by how many key players were injured on their team. The Knicks were simply dealt a bad hand. This current off-season, the Knicks made two huge trades for two huge superstars. The Knicks first traded away Bojan Bogdanovic, Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton, and an astonishing five first round picks to the Nets for Mikal Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, and a second-round pick (NBA News Service). Mikal Bridges is a 6’6 small forward who is averaging almost 20 points per game. The Knicks then traded away Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, other small role players and a second-round pick for Karl Anthony Towns. According to USA Today Sports basketball section, HOOPSHYPE, Karl Anthony Towns is the fifth best power forward this upcoming NBA season. And the “cherry on top” was Jalen Brunson’s selfless act of taking a $113 million pay cut so the Knicks could afford all their players. With their star-studded line up, the Knicks were one of the four teams that were predicted to win this season’s NBA championship (Cluff, 2024). Overall, this could be the Knicks’ year as they went through immeasurable mishaps last season. The combination of Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony Towns will be one of the best all-star duos in the league. Plus, the chemistry of this team overall is significant. Nerveless, there is always the chance of the unpredictable, but as for right now…expect in June to see Jalen Brunson holding the NBA Finals championship. Sources: - https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiJ-9fSxJuJAxUqFlkFHVfiAEIQFnoECBMQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.statmuse.com%2Fnba%2Fask%2Fjosh-hart-stats-without-randle-on-knicks&usg=AOvVaw2blqFcryiwYoo-g4RGatoX&opi=89978449 - https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjHnPu_v5uJAxVoEFkFHYWxLcgQFnoECBMQAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F10136150-knicks-rumors-julius-randle-expected-to-return-from-injury-for-start-of-nba-season%23%3A~%3Atext%3DRandle%2520injured%2520his%2520shoulder%2520during%2Cseason%252Dending%2520procedure%2520in%2520April.&usg=AOvVaw0XxY3bmVwBcOBJryWn-LFd&opi=89978449 - New York Knicks Legend Carmelo Anthony Addresses Jalen Brunson Contract ( si.com ) - 2023-24 New York Knicks Roster and Stats | Basketball-Reference.com - Knicks acquire Mikal Bridges from Nets for haul of picks, Bojan Bogdanovic | NBA.com - Knicks acquire Karl-Anthony Towns in 3-team trade | NBA.com - NBA ranking: The Top 24 power forwards for the 2023-24 season ( hoopshype.com ) - https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjg9oyD55uJAxVKKlkFHcHVNDcQvOMEKAB6BAgOEAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.azcentral.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnba%2F2024%2F10%2F18%2Fnba-championship-odds-celtics-thunder-knicks-76ers-2024-25-season%2F75737066007%2F&usg=AOvVaw1e6tWZjGXP6dUmO9ja7T6r&opi=89978449 BACK TO TOP