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Back to Articles News Back to Sections Attacks on Women Sahar Ali Volume 4 Issue 4 May 29, 2024 Image Provided by Elaine Ching Imagine walking down a street in New York City. You are minding your own business when out of the blue, someone attacks you, more specifically, punches you. This was the reality for some women in New York City. Recently, there have been multiple reports of young women claiming to have been punched by a man while walking in New York City in broad daylight. This issue has gained attention through social media platforms such as TikTok, in which the women involved revealed the details of their attacks. The news of the attacks started to surface on March 17th, 2024. Women in their 20s and 30s took to social media to share their experiences. Some of the women stated that they had been on their phones as they were walking when the attack took place. One woman claimed that she was attacked while walking home. Another claimed she was attacked while on her way to work and another asserted that she was attacked while walking her dog. Two of the women who were punched described their attacker to be very similar; it is possible that the aggressor was the same in both cases. Since March 17th, a dozen women have shared that they were attacked and two of the women went as far as to file police reports. One of the women involved in the attacks, Halley Kate Mcgookin, posted to TikTok on March 25th, stating, “You guys, I was literally just walking, and a man came up and punched me in the face.” Mcgookin went on to file a police report the same day. The video Mcgookin posted on TikTok had 49 million views and consisted of comments that tagged other women who experienced similar attacks. This included Olivia Brand. On March 17th, Brand posted a video stating she was also punched in the face. She goes on to say that the man said “sorry” and further went on to punch her in the head while on the sidewalk. A third victim, Mikayla Toninato, also commented on Mcgookin’s TikTok post; she too had been walking when a man approached her and hit her in the face while she was looking down at her phone. Following Toninato’s attack, Sarah Harvard was also attacked on March 19th while in the Lower East Side. Harvard did not post information regarding her attack on social media unlike the other victims; however, once she witnessed a buildup of posts about the same attacks, she explained her similar situation on Instagram and Twitter, following with a police report filed on March 27th. Selena Pikanab and Karina Dunford, two additional victims, also released posts on social media describing comparable incidents. So far, the New York Police Department has arrested a suspect: 40-year-old Skiboky Stora from Brooklyn. Stora has been charged with misdemeanor assault in Mcgookin’s attack. During his arraignment, Stora pleaded not guilty but was still in custody. Skiboky Stora has an interesting past as well. In the last three years, Stora launched long-shot bids for government positions such as governor, mayor, and city council member. On social media, it has been documented that Stora’s posts consists of pictures of him posing shirtless while appearing in front of a Donald Trump flag. On the darker side, many of Stora’s posts include videos of him harassing women as they are going about their day on the subway or street. In many areas of New York City, there has been an increase in misdemeanor assaults. Especially now, women are the main target. It is important for women of all ages in New York City to be aware of their surroundings, especially since men have assaulted many women this past month. Women should not have to worry about having to deal with such circumstances, however, everyone in New York City should take precaution in order to prevent these circumstances. SOURCES: Multiple women online say they were punched while walking around New York City ( nbcnews.com ) What we know about viral TikToks saying women are being punched in NYC streets ( msn.com ) BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Show The Cameras What They Want By Nora Chery Volume 1 Issue 4 January 20, 2021 Image provided by Jasmien Wynants The little girl sat on her pink stool in front of her pink vanity, the golden mirror lights pouring their light on her small round face and her small body. Using her reflection, she applied red lipstick, a brand she teamed up with, on her little non-existent lips while her humming of a mainstream song bounced around the room. How long are you going to keep putting on that makeup, darling? They're expecting you," a voice with a tint of sweetness mixed with annoyance spoke up. The little girl's red lipstick pauses, midway on her bottom lip. She glances at the left side of her mirror, her eyes seeing the large lens that belonged to a bridge camera. She turns her head, facing the camera's body towering over her. Her eyes meet the backsides of smartphones and their smaller lens, on both sides and top of the bridge camera. Millions of them, pushing, shoving, and stacking on amongst each other, forming a stadium just to get a view of her, millions of their lenses were staring right at her. The little girl felt sweat form on her forehead, a drop of nervousness forming inside her chest. She never thought that this many cameras would take an interest in her. The bridge then says in a small cheerful voice, "Go on, and you can do it," while adjusting its lens. The little girl shifting on the cushion of her stool, hesitating until a small plop on the ground startled her. She looked down at her feet to see a heart that was no smaller than a dime, it's vibrant red, and cherry scent attracted her to pick it up. Every touch she felt on its smooth surface, a shimmer of warmth had risen in her chest, spreading. She grinned ear to ear. The cameras watched her, stood up from her stool, and grew. She no longer was a little girl. Through their lenses, she is a woman with grinning red lips and revealing clothes that showed her grown up body. When she rolled, the woman danced and thrust her hips; the lenses clicked with joy while sprinkled her with hearts. The cherry smell enveloped her, loading her nostrils with encouragement. When she got on the ground, lifted her long-grown legs, they clicked with excitement, showering her with hearts. When she swung around, picked up a low squatting stance, and threw her hips back, the clicks grew stronger with eagerness, dousing her with hearts. The hearts kept on arriving, coming down and bouncing off her body every time she twisted and curved her body. "That's my girl!" said the bridge camera, and she felt validation flood all over her body. But suddenly, Swoosh! The woman felt an intense pain graze through her left shoulder; she yelped. The audience paused, stunned, as did the woman, heavily breathing as she peered at her shoulder to see a gash already forming with blood trickling down at the length of her arm. She looked back at her vanity, following the direction of the weapon that cut her to see a heart bigger than a dime, its lower half pinned to the right side of the mirror frame. She stared at it with fright; 'Aren't hearts supposed to be a good thing?' she thought. Her reflection catches her attention; she stares at it with dazed confusion that soon transformed into confused horror. Her reflection was not a grown woman with a grown body; it was a little girl with a little body. Her small round face covered in sweat and smudged with red lipstick from dancing she was too young to do, in an outfit she was too young to wear, with a gash she was too young to have. "What are you waiting for?" said the annoying Bridge camera, dismissing the event that just happened. "Show the cameras what they want. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections The Presenter and the Friend By Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 1 Issue 8 June 8, 2021 Image provided by Migration Navigator I look out towards the crowd Suck in my breath and turn around 1…2…3…4 Deep breath in and deep breath out Introductions are made The lights start to fade Turn around and address the mass As time slowly starts to pass Clear my throat a couple times Sweat drips as I read my lines Mind starts to wonder I forget to ponder I look out towards the crowd Suck in my breath and turn around 1…2…3…4 Deep breath in and deep breath out Focus on the task Emotions flood my face, unable to mask At the end of the room My friend smiles, allowing me to resume Careful hand gestures Taking careful measures A smile blooms on my face As I remember my case I look out towards the crowd Suck in my breath and turn around 1…2…3…4 Deep breath in and deep breath out Traditions fly out my mouth Cultures from the north, west, east, and south I talk about them all Big or small The sun hits the class Showering us all, making us look like glass The shiniest of us all Is my friend who leans agaisnt the wall I look out towards the crowd Suck in my breath and turn around 1…2…3…4 Deep breath in and deep breath out But this time I hear applause I smile knowing what I cause I couldn’t do it without the friend Who never takes credit for all she mends BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Science & Technology Back to Sections Cool Creatures: The Crested Gecko By Matteo Somma Volume 2 Issue 6 April 14, 2022 Image provided by The Spruce Pets The Crested gecko, or Correlophus Ciliatus, is a gecko species that lives in New Caledonia, a chain of islands in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. The Crested gecko is a common pet that was thought to be extinct until 1994, when scientist Robert Seipp rediscovered the species. Along with the fact that this little lizard reaches lengths of 6-8 inches, the Crested gecko is known for its wide eyes and bright colors. Like many other species of geckos, the Crested gecko lacks eyelids. Thus, they have incredibly long tongues that allow them to reach from their mouths to their eyes to keep them moist as well as to clear away debris. Other than being known for their bulging eyes, Crested geckos are also famously known for their hundreds of distinct color and pattern variations. From spots to stripes, the Crested gecko has it all. The Crested gecko lives in the trees of the rainforest. As an arboreal species of reptile, they often leap from tree to tree. Since they are also a nocturnal species – meaning awake during the night – they can be commonly found sleeping high in tree crevices in the daytime and feasting at night. Just like humans, they are omnivores, meaning they consume both meat (or insects) and plants (in their case, fruits). During the evening, they can be found down on the rainforest floor eating rotten fruit and any bugs that may be inside. For those who are familiar with gecko species, they lose their tails. While many species of gecko regrow their tails, the Crested gecko does not. When attacked by a predator, they will drop or lose their tail to distract predators from escaping. Once their tail is lost, the Crested gecko will not regrow it. In captivity, Crested geckos make great pets. They can be kept in relatively small enclosures (10–36-gallon tanks stood upright) and require little annual fees. They can live up to 20 years in captivity and often tolerate being handled. We love this interesting little lizard! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections With The Trust I Had By Sarah Velez Volume 2 Issue 6 April 14, 2022 Image provided by Max Pixel Running through corn fields hand in hand. Not looking back to a wrecked past. Where childhood was nothing but pain. Really hope they live in vain. Worst thing is you meet someone new and they walk right out of your life. Or stab you in the back with your own knife. Wish I could have everyone who left, back here again. I don’t even know why they first came. Everyone who left me thought I was lame. Except for those few that had to go. They probably don’t even know how much they mean. If only right next to them I could be. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork The Memory Project Back to Sections Usman- Ava Strojan Ava Strojan February 24, 2023 Volume 3 Issue 3

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections The Console Wars Elijah Dyal Volume 5 Issue 2 November 25, 2024 Image Provided by Max Ching The Console Wars Ever since the release of the PlayStation on December 3, 1994, and the N64 on June 23, 1996, Sony and Nintendo have been dominating the market and entertaining us with their interactive gaming machines. As the PlayStation and Nintendo continued to get more popular, Microsoft decided it was about time they entered the gaming industry. As Microsoft was building the Xbox, PlayStation came out with their PS2 on March 4, 2000. Microsoft realized that they were behind by 2 generations, so they sped up the process and released the Xbox on November 15, 2001. These 3 consoles competed with the Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, and the Nintendo GameCube. As Microsoft started to capture people’s attention with their Xbox, PlayStation had sold about 270 units (PS1 and PS2s.) Microsoft started to become even more popular and had finally started designing their 7th generation console; the Xbox 360. Sony released the PlayStation Portable (PSP) on March 24, 2005. The Xbox 360 was released on November 22, 2005. Sony’s biggest rival finally got ahead of them, but little did Microsoft know, PlayStation was coming out with something revolutionary. November 11, 2006 marked the release date of one of the best consoles of its time. The PlayStation 3 boasted many 3D capabilities, HDMI compatibility, and had one of the biggest leaps in performance from its predecessor. It even had its own home screen, unlike all of the previous generation consoles manufactured by Sony. Along with this beast came the DualShock Sixaxis controller. It wasn’t the biggest upgrade from the DualShock 2, but it still had new features. Later, Sony released PlayStation Plus, a subscription that allowed the users of the PS3 and later to do it all. Every PS3 model was compatible with the PSP. Sony even released the PS3 Slim on Sep 1, 2009, which was a smaller and better console than the original. The Nintendo Wii was released on November 19, 2006. This console featured many new and different games and controllers, including their famous Wii Motion Plus. This was a controller that allowed users to play games such as Major League Baseball 2K10. Sony couldn’t stand Nintendo having a controller that they didn’t, which resulted in them releasing the PlayStation Move on September 15, 2010. Meanwhile, Microsoft consoles were suffering from general hardware failures which caused the Red Ring of Death on many of their Xbox 360 consoles. The Red Ring of Death meant that there was some sort of hardware issue inside the console. They even tried releasing the Xbox Kinect on November 4, 2010, but the number of Red Rings of Death were increasing and were skyrocketing to almost all of their consoles. The end of this generation was marked by Sony’s release of the PlayStation 3 Super Slim on September 25, 2012. This wasn’t their best console, but was a cheaper and smaller alternative to the PS3 and PS3 Slim. On November 15, 2013, Sony released the PS4, and on November 22, 2013, Microsoft released the Xbox One. At this point, PlayStation and Xbox were like fish and land. PlayStation accommodated more exclusive and more aesthetically pleasing games, while Xbox started supporting a wider variety of games. As soon as one company did something good, others created something to compete with it. PlayStation sold more than double the amount of Xbox Ones. Then Microsoft released the Xbox One S, in 2016, which supported 4K resolution, and Cross Generation Play, but the PS4 still outsold it. On March 3, 2017, Nintendo announced the release of the Switch. The Switch was a big hit, with over 125 million units sold. It even featured removable Joy-Cons. The Nintendo Switch Lite didn’t have removable Joy-Cons and was a smaller alternative. The Nintendo Switch Oled featured a sleek design, while still maintaining the iconic Nintendo Switch design. Nowadays, there are rumors of a Switch Pro or Switch 2. On November 10, 2016, Sony released the PlayStation 4 Pro. This was an advanced version of the PS4, that supported 4K and other modern features. Microsoft had to catch up, and they did, with the release of the Xbox One X on November 7, 2017. This was the direct competitor to the PS4 Pro, as they kept going back and forth. On November 10, 2020, Microsoft released the present-day Xbox Series S and X. These consoles boasted features that were never used in consoles before, such as external SSD expansion. They feature high resolution outputs through HDMI-CEC. They even offer extraordinary reliability, unlike the Xbox 360. Meanwhile, Sony took advantage of the Xbox release date to see the capabilities and used the extra 2 days to modify their next generation console to compete with the Xboxes. On November 12, 2020, Sony Interactive Entertainment released the Sony PlayStation 5. It has a more than unique design. This console has many new features, and also features expandable SSD storage. As Sony promised, they also released the PS5 Slim on November 10, 2023. This is just a slimmer version of the PS5 with minor performance improvements. This year, many new variants of the Xbox Series X and S have been released, as Xbox catches up with PlayStation. As you can see, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are the biggest rivals in the gaming console industry. Who knows what the future holds for these companies? Sources: https://www.ign.com/articles/all-playstation-console-release-dates-in-order , https://www.ign.com/articles/all-xbox-console-release-dates-in-order , https://www.ign.com/articles/all-nintendo-console-release-dates-in-order , https://sonyinteractive.com/en/press-releases/2010/playstationmove-motion-controller-to-hit-worldwide-market-starting-this-septemberfor-japan/ , and https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/timeline-a-look-back-at-kinects-history/ BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Cage (a short story) Annie Diep Volume 4 Issue 2 January 16, 2024 Image Provided by Annie Diep My mother owns a bird, or perhaps shall I say two birds? Since...I find myself resembling the dove my mother keeps in her office quite a bit. Like the dove trapped in the cage, I am confined to my room. Like the dove unable to fly because its wings were clipped, I am unable to walk because my legs are clipped. Like the dove, I used to think this was for the better. Like the dove, I thought this enclosure is supposed to protect me from the outside. Like the dove, I am punished when I ask for things that I do not deserve. Like the dove, all I know how to do is stare outside the window all day. However, unlike the dove, I am not allowed into her office. However, unlike the dove, she has not once looked at me besides when she punishes me. Unlike the dove...I am not loved. I guess now that I think more about it...I don't resemble the dove my mother keeps after all. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Sports Back to Sections Junior High Cross Country By Andrew LaVoie Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by Circle Schools The North Junior High Cross-Country team is an outstanding team to join. Cross-Country is an excellent sport, and the North team is very good. First, Cross-Country is a perfect sport because unlike football or soccer, you do not need equipment except for your body and clothing. There are also some health benefits to cross-country track. According to  www.schpemerald.org , “The faster you run, the harder your heart works and the stronger it gets. Running bolsters your cartilage by increasing oxygen flow and flushing out toxins and strengthening the ligaments around your joints. Not only that, but it is also one of the best forms of exercise to lose extra pounds or maintain a steady weight.” Those are just some benefits of the sport of Cross-Country as a whole, but the North team is very incredible too. Coached by Anne Schroder, the Junior High Cross- Country team is fun and a great experience to push your body to its limits. We had two girls finish first and second, and two boys finish second and third. However, as a nonbiased reporter, I warn the sport of cross country can be very challenging, but I know to never give up. Sign-ups for the team are closed for the year, but next season we would love to have you on the team. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections To Make No Decision is a Decision Annie Diep Volume 4 Issue 4 May 29, 2024 Image Provided by Elaine Ching There was once a puppy deserted on a barren island. The puppy was hungry and dehydrated after being stranded for so long. However, just when the puppy was beginning to lose hope, the puppy saw two crates in the near distance. One crate was filled to the brim with turkey legs and chicken wings, and the other, filled to the brim with fresh purified water. The puppy, both hungry and dehydrated, couldn’t decide between the two crates. The puppy thought if it went to the water crate, it would be able to satisfy its thirst; however, it would still be hungry, and if it went to the food crate, it would be able to satisfy its hunger; however, it would still be thirsty. There must be some way to obtain both of the crates at the same time. There must be! So, it pondered and pondered. The puppy thought and thought, until it couldn’t think anymore as it fell to the ground from starvation and thirst. BACK TO TOP