Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Rollercoasters By Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by UnSplash Life's a rollercoaster, don't you see? It doesn't matter which you pick, you'll still scream Full of twists and turns, no one said it's easy Life's the same way, can't you see? One day you're on top of the world, the next day you're on the ground crying   One spins you, until your head's dizzy The other it drops you from extremes Sometimes it feels so slow waiting Then you're on but not you just want to get off Life's the same way, can't you see? One day you're on top of the world, the next day you're on the ground crying   Life speeds by just like a coaster You just sat in and the ride's already over Friends are the riders next to you Some stay and others leave you Life's the same way, can't you see? One day you're on top of the world, the next day you're on the ground crying BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Powerful Women throughout Culinary History By Christina Ossa Volume 1 Issue 6 March 18, 2021 Image provided by the James Bear Foundation The culinary industry, as with any other industry, has been known to favor men while pushing women off to the sidelines. Men have predominantly been more recognized and well-known throughout culinary arts while women who achieve just as respectable and amazing goals as men do not receive the same level of recognition. As we celebrate powerful women who have paved the way for the ambitious younger generations that exist today, here are a few extraordinary women who have made amazing progress throughout culinary history. Buwei Yang Chao (1945) : Have you ever wondered how Chinese dishes such as the delicious “stir-fry” have become so widely popular in our country? Well, the best answer to that is because of the progress Buwei Yang Chao made in terms of having more Chinese cooking easily accessible to the U.S. population. She was born on November 25th, 1889, and in 1945 first coined the names of Chinese dishes like “stir-fry” and other recipes in her Chinese cookbook How to Cook and Eat in Chinese which was published in the U.S. While Chao did not even know how to speak English, with the help of her husband and daughter’s translations, she was able to make previously inaccessible Chinese dishes available to the wider English-speaking population. Earning critical acclaim from The New York Times who reportedly called it “an authentic account of the Chinese culinary system”, Chao was able to make a huge splash with her first Chinese cookbook while not even being able to speak the language of her audience! She continued her great influence on Chinese cooking-culture in the U.S. through her next Chinese recipe book called How to Order and Eat in Chinese to Get the Best Meal in a Chinese Restaurant . Chao’s story is extremely inspiring, especially for women of color who have similar situations to Chao and wish to achieve great feats in the culinary industry. Buwei Yang Chao not only influenced Chinese cuisine in the United States to the point it has achieved today but also paved the way for future generations of young Chinese and other minority girls to achieve their dreams of finding success in the culinary industry. Ruth Fertel (1965): Ruth Fertel was a single mother who had high ambitions and a courageous personality which helped her to achieve her culinary goals. She was born February 5th, 1927, and is the founder of Ruth’s Chris Steak House which today is an extremely well-established restaurant chain known for its delicious, juicy steaks. Aspiring to send her sons to college in 1965, Fertel took a risk and bought a restaurant for sale in New Orleans where she opened Chris’ Steak House. After finding success with her locals, one local in particular named Thomas Moran was handed the Ruth’s Chris franchise which he expanded by opening several other locations which today stands at 80 different locations. Until Fertel became ill in 1999, she continued her powerhouse journey in the culinary industry and found great success as an extremely successful franchise owner. So, if you ever find yourself near a Ruth’s Chris Steak House, location now you know the history behind Ruth Fertel’s inspiring career. While Ruth is no longer with us, she will continue to be an inspiring role model for younger generations and older generations looking to establish a career in the culinary industry. Susan Feniger/Mary Sue Milliken (1999): When Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken first settled as chefs into the Las Vegas strip, it was primarily marketed toward men and had a predominantly male workspace. Feniger was born in 1953 and Mary Sue Milliken was born in 1958, and this powerful duo began their careers in Chicago at the restaurant Le Perroquet. After their time at Le Perroquet, they chose to join together in LA which led them to achieve outstanding goals with one another. They’ve led extremely successful careers since their kick-off in the 1970s, and have won awards from the James Beard and Julia Child Foundations, Food Network shows, have had radio appearances, and even a Top Chef Masters win. But one of their most influential feats was when they opened their Mexican restaurant Border Grill in the Las Vegas Strip during 1999, which as I mentioned before was a male-dominated area. However, they experienced great success becoming the first women to run an extremely and high-profile restaurant on the strip. This duo also began their own foundation to encourage women to continue achieving great accomplishments in the culinary world, named the Women Chefs & Restaurateurs and Chefs Collaborative. 15 years after the duo’s achievements, Giada de Laurentiis and today Lorena Garcia, the first Latina to open a restaurant on the strip, established highly successful restaurants on the strip as well. Feniger and Milliken’s achievements throughout their careers have certainly paved way for new generations of women and younger girls to establish their careers in the culinary industry and their achievements will continue to influence young women to chase their dreams! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections The Economic Impact of Titanic’s Sinking Rehmat Kaur Volume 4 Issue 1 November 6, 2023 Image provided by History | A+E Networks The Titanic's sinking on April 15, 1912 was one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history, resulting in an estimated loss of $21 billion for the global economy. The Titanic was intended to produce a large profit on the ship's numerous journeys, with passengers paying for how they wished to be served. Wealthy passengers were on board, ignorant that the ship would sink due to a collision with an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean throughout the night of April 14th and 15th, 1912. At first, the Titanic's lookouts were relieved to find that the iceberg had not left any visible damage but failed to notice that it had created a 300-foot gash in the hull. The captain predicted that the ship would stay afloat for an hour and a half and directed that the lifeboats be filled. Women and children boarded the boats first, however, due to the chaotic process, the majority of the casualties were women and children. The ship remained afloat for about three hours before sinking, resulting in hundreds of fatalities once it sank. 706 individuals survived the Titanic's sinking, nevertheless, this catastrophe claimed the lives of 1517 individuals, but historians believe that number may have been lower. The sinking resulted in the loss of lives, cargo, and investments, as well as a decrease in tourism and trade. In Canada, the sinking resulted in the loss of many jobs, a decrease in the standard of living for many Canadians, and a decrease in the amount of cargo being transported. The RMS Titanic had people of 29 different nationalities, including British, Irish, and American passengers. Among the cargo were 3,364 bags of mail, as well as grand pianos, golf clubs, literal tons of potatoes, toothpaste, 75,000 pounds of fresh meat and fish, beer, wine, liquor, fruits and vegetables, one Renault 35-horsepower automobile owned by William Carter, and eight dogs and one cat. The Titanic's maiden voyage resulted in a massive loss of material things, including a jeweled copy of Omar Khayyam's "The Rubaiyat" with pictures by Eliku Vedder. The Titanic disaster was the result of a storm of unlucky events that resulted in tragedy. Survivors filed insurance claims for everything from the most valuable cargo to commonplace possessions, including a hand-bound poetry book inlaid with 1,500 priceless jewels. Despite many people assuming the ship was indestructible, the incident demonstrates that even the most advanced ship can encounter unexpected disasters. The tragedy significantly impacted the development of maritime technology, the demand for maritime expertise and safety measures. The safety measures included installing radio beacons and distress flares on all ships to prevent such a disastrous event. Sources: https://www.infolibs.com/history/the-economic-impact-of-the-titanics-sinking https://phdessay.com/a-study-of-the-economic-impact-of-the-sinking-of-the-titanic/ https://patch.com/connecticut/cheshire/titanic-100-years-later-remarkable-cargo-also-lost BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections The Life of Pi By Augustine Magapan Volume 2 Issue 5 March 28, 2022 Image provided by MARCA On March 14th we celebrate Pi Day because Pi, a numerical value of 3.14159265358979323 and so on, is represented as 3/14. Although Pi Day revolves around the concept of an irrational number used to find the area and circumference of a circle, we will be celebrating a story that also has the name “Pi”. We will commemorate the story, “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel. I, myself, have not read the book; however, I have watched the movie. With a strong rating and having the name “Pi”, I could not leave this out of the new issue for North Star . In the movie, it initially starts in Canada where a writer interviews a man named Pi about his life story in order to understand religious faith. Firstly, the Canadian writer originally heard of Pi from Pi’s so-called uncle, Mamaji, a family-friend who enjoyed swimming in pools. He asks Pi why he is named “Pi” as in the number 3.14. However, Pi responds saying that ‘Pi’ isn’t his real name; instead, he was named Piscine Molitor Patel, because of the recognition of his uncle who was also a champion swimmer that told many stories and one of them happened to be the Piscine Molitor which is a swimming pool in Paris. Throughout Pi’s childhood, he was raised in Pondicherry, India where his father was a businessman who owned a zoo. As Pi was growing up, people referred to him as “Pissing” Patel due to the phonetic sound of his birth name. As Pi continues to get bullied at school for his nickname, he changes it to Pi, short for Piscine. It is not as recognizable, and he explains to other students in future grades that it represents the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet and the number 3.14. As time progresses even further in Pi’s academic career, he earns the respect of his fellow classmates for knowing an abundance of numbers after 3.14 of Pi which impresses the Canadian author. Although Pi changing from “Pissing” to Pi led the Canadian author into marvel, the author wanted Pi to convince him that God exists; consequently, Pi moved on from his academic and origins of his childhood to his religious understanding. Pi stated that at birth, he was a Hindu. He learned the virtues of Hinduism until he went to Munnar and learned Christianity. One day Ravi, Pi’s brother, dared Pi to go drink the holy water in a Church in Munnar. Pi soon did it and was encountered by a priest. Afterwards the priest gave Pi water since he saw he was thirsty. Pi asked why God would send his own son to atone the sins of the innocent people. The priest replied that it was because he loved us. Pi was astonished and talked to the priest more and more and thanked the Hindu gods that he is learning about new religions and practices. When Pi went back to India, he discovered Muslim and started practicing the traditions by kneeling and putting his head on the floor that was “holy”; furthermore, he learned Arabic to increase his religious morality. After understanding the concept of God by learning multiple religions, Pi then used those practices every day. One day during dinner, Pi prayed for his food while the rest of his family did not. He was made fun of by his brother and his father told him that learning multiple religions would overlap and ultimately cancel out the religious spirit inside of Pi. Pi ignored his father and continued to practice and empower his religious mindset every day. For example, he wanted to feed a tiger named Richard Parker, who was supposed to be named Thirsty since the hunter found the tiger as a cub at first drinking water, but the papers got switched up where the hunter was named Thirsty and the tiger named Richard Parker. As Richard Parker got close to Pi when he was feeding him, Pi got caught by his father; consequently, Pi gets scolded. Pi told his father that animals also have souls and that we should respect them, but his father responded that they are not friends and that they are dangerous. His father then demonstrates that animals are dangerous by placing a goat in front of Richard Parker. Afterwards, the tiger violently kills the goat, scarring Pi. The demonstration Pi’s father made led him to feel bored and unhappy with his life. Until one day, he meets a girl named Anandi. Pi was invited to play music for the practice of dancers in India since the person who usually plays the music was absent. While Pi played the music for the women who were practicing dance, the teacher got upset that they weren’t doing well; therefore, Anandi, one of the dancers, led them. Pi became attracted to her where soon started to follow her everywhere she went. One day, he got caught by her and he asked about why she did a certain position even though it was not in the dance routine. This made Anandi interested in Pi where they both talked about religion for the rest of their time together. Unfortunately, Pi’s family had to sell their zoo since they were moving to Canada for a better life. This affected Pi greatly, since he had to say goodbye to Anandi right after they met. Pi then boards a boat that takes him and his family all the way to Canada along with other passengers and the animals from the zoo. While being on the boat, Pi struggles with the racism inside the boat from the French people; fortunately, some of the passengers were immigrants and dealt with the same issue. As the boat continues on the journey, Pi goes outside quarters on a stormy night seeing that the ship is damaged and about to sink. Struggling to stay on the boat, Pi and a few animals are the only ones that evacuate the ship leaving everyone else dead. A few days afterwards, Pi is stranded with an orangutan, hyena, zebra, and Richard Parker. Throughout their time in the boat, they all die one by one leaving Pi with Richard Parker. Pi then needs to focus on learning how to take care of himself and dealing with Richard Parker on a small boat. The movie continues where Richard Parker and Pi are still stranded on the boat struggling to survive with limited supplies. In order to survive together, they must learn how to communicate with each other and persevere or else they will die in a shameful way. Pi lost everything he has and only has God and the tiger. Will he make it out alive or go down hopelessly? Read or watch the story to find out! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections The Robert Langdon Series By John McCarthy Volume 1 Issue 2 November 24, 2020 Image provided by Amazon Dan Brown, a historical fiction writer, crafted an alternative reality featuring Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, who solves world crises by solving riddles with his extensive knowledge of art history. Langdon finds himself in intense situations spanning different historical cities such as Rome, Paris, and Washington D.C. Five bestsellers comprise the series: Angels and Demons , The Da Vinci Code , The Lost Symbol , Inferno , and Origin . Being the son of a mathematics teacher and a church organist, Brown emphasizes the struggle between science and religion in many of his books. Here is a quick description of each book featuring Robert Langdon. The great thing about the series is that no information from prior books is needed to understand the plot of next, meaning that the books do not have to be read in order. Simply start with the novel that intrigues you most! Angels and Demons The first book to feature Robert Langdon, Angels and Demons , takes him and Vittoria Vetra on a journey throughout Rome trying to thwart the plans of the infamous Illuminati who have planted a weapon of mass destruction in Vatican City to destroy their enemy, the Catholic Church, and ensure science prevails. The murder of Leonardo Vetra, a Catholic scientist at CERN studying the beginning of the universe, a controversial topic for worshippers and non-believing academics, brings Langdon to Europe for this predicament. Vetra, branded with the famous Illuminati stamp, compelled CERN to recruit Langdon to investigate the murder. As the day goes on, Langdon realizes this is much more than a murder case. Can he and Vittoria find and defuse the destructive device before time runs out? The Da Vinci Code The Da Vinci Code is the most popular book of the series, selling over 80 million copies worldwide. Langdon, along with cryptologist Sophie Neveu, investigate the murder of Louvre curator, Jacques Saunière. Saunière’s body, peculiarly distorted, sends Langdon and Neveu on a hunt to find and protect the Holy Grail, intertwined with the history of the Priory of Sion, an ancient secret society for elite intellectuals. However, Silas, an albino monk, makes it his mission to seize the Holy Grail at all costs as a payment to his God and his anonymous “teacher”. Moreover, the French police believe Langdon murdered Saunière because he was scheduled to meet with the curator the night before. The police chase adds extra difficulty to Langdon and Neveu’s objective. The #1 bestseller culminates with a stirring controversy that challenges the beliefs of many Christians. The Lost Symbol Arriving at Washington D.C. for a guest speech at the Smithsonian, Langdon finds that his former mentor’s severed hand lies tattooed in the middle of the lobby. Symbolic, the tattoos intrigue Langdon and augments his desire to help his friend. Navigating the elaborate history of the U.S. capital, Langdon, with Katherine Solomon, the sister of Langdon’s mentor, to try to identify Peter’s kidnapper and find Peter! On the other hand, Peter’s kidnapper has murder on his mind. Amidst the man hunt, Peter’s valuable artifact, a sacred pyramid of the Freemasons, which Langdon possesses must not fall into the wrong hands. Inferno Based in Venice, Inferno relies on the extensive works of Dante Alighieri. Langdon, who wakes up in a hospital with no recollection of last night’s events or how he arrived in Italy, barely escapes with his life, assisted by Dr. Sienna Brooks. They need to stop the release of a dangerous virus, justified to solve the problem of overpopulation. Working against an organization determined to carry out the wishes of their maniacal client, Langdon needs to prevent the release of the virus and remember the events of last night, crucial to solve his predicament. The virus, contained in a hidden location, is set to release. Langdon can decipher clues to find that location, but can he and Dr. Brooks, do so in time? Origin Langdon is now in Spain to attend a presentation from Edmond Kirsch, an atheist, world-renowned computer scientist, and former student of Langdon’s. The presentation, Kirsch says, will answer two of the most asked questions about human existence: Where did we come from? and Where are we going? Our origin and our destiny. However, Kirsch never gets to finish his presentation. Langdon, alongside Ambra Vidal and Kirsch’s creation, Winston, does the best he can to unveil the discovery by any means possible. A mysterious informant causes severe controversy, claiming the Catholic Spanish royal family had something to do with silencing Kirsch’s presentation. Will Kirsch’s presentation ever see the light of day? If it does, the consequences for current religious beliefs will be immeasurable. BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Heckscher Back to Sections Memory Tree Entry 5 April 14, 2022 Mixed Media Volume 2 Issue 6

Back to Articles News Back to Sections To Mask or Not To Mask By Craig Papajohn-Shaw Volume 2 Issue 4 February 10, 2022 Image provided by Deseret News Update 03/01/2022: On Sunday, February 27th, Governor Hochul announced she would lift the mandatory mask mandate across schools in New York State; school districts can decide whether to continue the mandate. On Tuesday, March 1st, the Valley Stream Central High School District Board of Education voted unanimously to opt for a mask optional plan. Acting Superintendent Loper has amended the masking policy within his " District Reopening Plan ." Starting Wednesday, March 2nd, masks will no longer be mandated for students or staff within the district; Dr. Loper noted that the decision will now rest with each family and student. -------- In his first few weeks in office, newly elected Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R-NY) already found himself embroiled in a dispute with Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY). One of Blakeman's pledges during his campaign is that he would manage the pandemic with "economic, social and mental health consequences in mind." As promised, he signed an executive order removing the mask mandate in Nassau County schools and giving local school boards discretion to decide how to proceed with regard to mandating masking. Hochul threatened to remove county board members who voted to toss the mask requirement and cut funds to those districts; the Governor claims state law supersedes local county orders. Even with the threats made by the Governor, on January 20th, the Massapequa Union Free School District Board of Education voted to end the student and staff mask mandate; districts such as Island Trees followed suit. This is not the first time the Massapequa School District attempted to drop the mask mandate; back in October, the district filed a lawsuit challenging the mandate's legality. Massapequa's Board of Education Trustee Cher Lepre emphasizes, "it can't always just be Massapequa willing to take a stand." Hochul's current executive order on the New York schools mask mandate is in effect until February 1st, and then renewed it once again until February 28th; the order can continue to be renewed at the Governor's discretion as long as the courts don’t rule it to be unconstitutional. The Governor has implied that she would decide whether to renew the order close to the deadline of the current mandate, as she will have to evaluate the severity of the pandemic at that time. The Governor is up for election in 2022, and her decision to renew may be influenced by the fact that she will first have to survive the Democratic primary prior to the general election. As New York State (NYS) sees a drop in daily cases with projections showing positive cases will be even lower in NYS by mid-February, as well as an increase in people receiving their booster shot, there is even further doubt about whether the Governor will renew the order. The issue sparked further controversy when the Nassau County Supreme Court ruled Hochul's mask mandate unconstitutional. Prior to Former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) leaving office, the New York Legislature terminated his "emergency powers," which gave the authority to the Governor's office to institute a mask mandate. When Governor Hochul took office, she renewed the order of a mask mandate without having those powers granted by the legislature. At least 25 districts opted for a mask-optional policy on January 25th; this was until the Department of Health filed an appeal, at which point Appellate Judge Robert Miller issued a "stay" until he can review the matter of the case at the appellate level. In Valley Stream North's Advanced Placement (AP) Government and Politics classes, an anonymous poll was conducted questioning students: "Do you agree with Massapequa school district's decision to NOT require masks anymore for all students?" The AP Government class consists of 12th graders; 77 students responded to the polls, where 27 of the students "approved" of Massapequa's decision, with 50 "against" the district's decision. The poll results implied 65% of students across the three sections of the course feel wearing masks should be mandated in schools. While the 77 students may not be a holistic view of how all students (or staff members) feel in the building, it indicates Massapequa's decision does concern the students at North. In response to the poll results, a senior in one of the sections of the class voiced, "Personally, I agree with the majority of students on this issue. Our school has a large number of students, and while some of my classes have approximately 15 students, some have approximately 30. Continued mask-wearing allows me to feel safe interacting with so many different people on a daily basis." At the time of publication, The Valley Stream Central High School District had not indicated the desire to lift the mask mandate. In the event that the Governor does not renew the state mandate during the current school year, the Board of Education will have to vote on the matter, at which time they will have to consider many factors, including the safety of staff and students. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Pep Rally of '24 and Senior Year Cross Country Season Manal Layachi Volume 5 Issue 2 November 25, 2024 Image Provided by Mother of Manal Layachi Senior year has arrived A bittersweet and joyful time Back to a routine Living the dream Homecoming flies by Having the time of my life Pep rally gets me pumped I cannot wait to run and jump As my coach calls out the names of my teammates, He forgets to call mine, But I know he is playing and I have to wait As the only senior on the team, I feel special like a queen When my coach calls my name I run across the turf and accept all of the fame As I run under the tunnel made by my teammates, I feel amazing and great My confidence increases and I celebrate I have been doing cross country for four years Although there will be tears when I graduate, there will also be cheers As I run every day and receive my senior banner, I remember all of my athletic accomplishments without regrets as I am a master I know I did my best and got faster. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Malverne Fall Festival Andrew Lavoie Volume 4 Issue 1 November 6, 2023 Image provided by the LIHerald Bouncy castles! Food trucks! Street vendors! You must be at the Malverne Fall Festival! On Sunday, October 15th, the Malverne Fall Festival was held outside of the Malverne Train Station. Many organizations attended including the Islanders who had hockey games to play, the Boy Scouts who were selling knishes and hot dogs, and even several live bands. This event is an iconic Malverne experience and has been happening for years. On that Sunday, I was helping the Boy Scouts at the festival by selling food. However, the Boy Scouts were not the only group selling food. There was a chicken and waffles truck, a Greek truck, and an empanada truck to name a few. Additionally, there were games and bouncy castles for the kids to play, including a shark ride that tried to throw its passengers off. Furthermore, there was a 5k as part of the festivities which Brian Guiheen of Chaminade won with a time of 17:37. Another event held during the festival was a car show. The show included numerous cool cars to look at and walk past. Aside from all the activities, one of the most important things to do at the festival is socializing. Whether it is talking to a friend or meeting a new acquaintance, the festival is always a great place to socialize. However, humans were not the only ones who were socializing. There was a stand selling dog treats where many of them were able to play. There were many vendors at the festival selling various cool items. There was a person selling books, someone selling healing crystals, and even someone selling lizards. Back to the Boy Scouts: we were raising money to help pay for the wrapping of our trailer and a renovation of our summer campsite. We were able to raise $778 thanks to all the generous customers. Throughout the entire event, there was lively music and plenty to do and eat. My favorite part of the festival was the food because it was excellent, but I was not the only one having a good time. I saw people buy lizards, eat 10 knishes, and get thrown off the shark ride. It was an exciting time for everyone who was there, and I sure am looking forward to it again next year. Thanks again to everybody who donated to the Boy Scouts! BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Line Back to Sections Lillian Dolan - What is Line - 3 By Lillian Dolan November 1, 2020 Photography Volume 1 Issue 1 This picture is of a wicker basket. I used artificial light (a lightbox). It was taken around noon.