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Why is the most popular sporting event only every 4 years?

9/20/2019

 
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Let me ask you a question, why is the most-watched sporting event only every 4 years? When I say most watched it is no exaggeration. According to FIFA, more than half the world check in every 4 years.  It seems silly with the event having so much popularity and fame, but there may be more reasons then you think. The event I am talking about is none other than Soccer’s (Or Football’s) World Cup. The World Cup is an event where teams from all over the world compete for the title of World Cup Champion. The most recent men's world cup was hosted in Russia and the women in France. 


One of the main reasons is the vast amount of qualifying matches the World Cup requires. In 2018 only 32 spots were up for grabs, really only 31 because the hosting country gets an automatic pass. The number of games required to dim down 204 nations into 31 spots is a lot of games. Another reason is that if the players are playing a full season and constantly traveling for their games there are little breaks, which is why the summer is crucial for resting and recovery. Another reason is when the world cup started in 1930 it would have been very hard to move full teams and their fans across the world. This point is evident because in the original world cup only 13 teams competed. Two from North America, seven from South America, and four from Europe, so FIFA most likely decided it would be smarted to do it every 4 years instead of every year. Another reason could be that it's the perfect amount of time to allow fans to get hyped up and excited about the next world cup. This might be one of the reasons it is so popular, maybe if it was every year it would eventually get repetitive and therefore uninteresting which would no longer bring fans in. With it being every 4 years it also allows players to burst into the scene and possibly into fame. A good example of this would be Paul Pogba who played on France in the 2018 Russian world cup which thrusted him into international fame. Another reason is the country's infrastructure. A country must be able to fit 3.03 million-plus people. This is why a country's infrastructure matters so much, just to show how important this is Russia spent over 12 billion dollars in infrastructure. All of the reasons are why the world cup is every 4 years.

But is 4 years too long to wait between world cups? A lot of people think this and therefore FIFA is making a new plan. The FIFA president Gianni Infantino has proposed a new plan for a mini-World Cup every 2 years. The tournament would have 8 teams competent and would be named the “Final 8” It would also be the leading teams from an also newly proposed National League competition. The tournament will take place every odd year starting 2021, and take place around the October-November time period.  The competition has not been set in stone yet. But according to Infantino, there is a group of reliable investors willing to put 25 million dollars into the tournament having the revenue distributed equally. The FIFA world cup is most likely the most prestigious and famous sporting event around the world. And I'm sure that most people would like to see more of the beautiful game played. ​

Story by Aidan McCloud

DisneyPlus: Everything you need to know

9/17/2019

 
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D23 went out with a bang with an endless amount of news with Disney's new streaming service coming November, 12 “DisneyPlus”. The service will feature Star Wars, Marvel, National Geographic, Pixar, and Disney’s main content. New shows and movies will come out after it’s release like Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe. It will open with the Mandalorian, “The first live-action Star Wars series, only exclusive on DisneyPlus.” - Official DisneyPlus website. The show is described to be a western sci-fi that is about a Mandalorian bounty hunter beyond the reaches of the New Republic.

Many never before series that will be exclusive to DisneyPlus were announced at SDCC and at the D23 event. Marvel already has ten shows announced only for the streaming service. The soonest will be Falcon and the Winter Soldier which will come to the service in early 2020. Star Wars will have another series that was recently announced at D23, is named Kenobi. Not a lot is known about it at the time other than that Ewan McGregor will return as Obi-Wan Kenobi. There will also be many Disney originals. Joining the list will be The World According to Jeff Goldblum, Encore, High School Musical: The Musical The Series, One Day, Noelle, Lady and the Tramp, and Secret Society- Born Royals.

It’s not only new series, classics will be remastered in HD, and so will the original 90s Marvel cartoons as well. Fans of old and new are very excited about the news of the streaming service. Disney is trying it's best to get people to join and play all of its cards. The official price for DisneyPlus will be seven dollars a month or seventy dollars a year in the US. It's half of what HBO and Netflix's $16 dollars a month payment, and is a large inflation between Disney’s deal. The real question is, with the lineup of DisneyPlus how will this affect other streaming services?

Story by Taylor Franklin


​SOURCES
https://www.cnet.com/news/disney-plus-streaming-service-launch-release-dates-prices-shows-movies-to-expect-preorders/

https://www.starwars.com/tv-shows/the-mandalorian
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/disney-plus-shows-everything-announced,review-6378.html
​https://www.insider.com/disney-plus-marvel-shows-2019-4
https://preview.disneyplus.com/


What is veganism?

9/13/2019

 
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What is veganism? Well, the dictionary definition states it is “a person who does not eat or use animal products.”  So, for example, vegans don’t eat meat, dairy or eggs. There is some debate on whether products like honey is vegan but, overall anything made from animals is not vegan. So what about eggs because animals aren’t killed for those?  Well, many egg facilities kill the male chicks upon hatching. Also, hens are bred to lay eggs faster which can lead to many health problems even if they are free-range farms. 

What is the history of veganism/vegetarianism? The term  ̈vegan” was coined in 1944. But vegetarianism is first mentioned Pythagoras in around 500 BCE. Later in 1732 the Ephrata Cloister a religious group advocated for vegetarianism. In 1847 the first vegetarian society was founded. Then in 1944, Donald Watson announced that since vegetarians eat dairy and eggs he was going to create the term ̈vegan ̈ for people who don't consume any animal products. Which later he specified is pronounced vee-gan, not vee-Jan. 

What are the types of vegans? There are dietary vegans, whole-food vegans, junk food vegans, raw food vegans and, low fat- raw food vegans. Dietary vegans are people who avoid animal products in their food but still use them in products like clothing or cosmetics. Whole food vegans theses people focus their diet on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and seeds. Junk food vegans are people who rely heavily on processed foods such as frozen dinners and fake meat. Raw food vegans are a group of people who only eat raw foods or foods cooked below 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Low-fat raw food vegans limit high-fat foods and rely mostly on fruits.

Story by Maddy Peeples


Sources
https://www.vegan.com

https://time.com/3958070/history-of-veganism/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-a-vegan#types


The Oakland Raiders Released Brown

9/13/2019

 
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This past Saturday, The Oakland raiders have released star receiver Antonio Brown. He has now been signed to the New England Patriots for the 2019 NFL season. The move came after Antonio Brown posted on his instagram account saying:”release me”. He tagged the Raiders in the post recommending to release him of the team.Shortly after the post His agent Drew Rosenhaus, said “his client is looking forward to a new beginning, then he was released off the team.

The raiders granted Brown his wish to be released. Assuming Brown passes a physical, he will play alongside Josh Gordon, a talented wide receiver who has been suspended for violating the league's drug policy. In the modern NFL, with its salary cap, mostly non-guaranteed contracts and immense pressure to win, team can easily cut players who have been disruptive.Opening the door for any team to pick up those players.Antonio Brown, who sat out for most of the training camp, when he was present, reportedly confronted the team's general manager over fines the team imposed for his absence.The Patriots was not the first or only team to roll the dice on this questionable player. 

Today the former raiders wide receiver had been scheduled to earn up to $15 million from the New England Patriots.The NFL is seriously considering placing Brown on paid leave via after being accused of rape and sexual assault in federal lawsuit.The wide receiver would be ineligible to play for the New England Patriots If he was put on the exempt list by the league. It is possible and is something the league is going to have to pay attention too.Antonio brown might not play this season if that happens and that is all the info we have about Brown right now.         

Story by Trayson Akbar

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/09/11/nfl-will-consider-placing-antonio-brown-paid-leave-making-him-ineligible-play/?noredirect=on
​Here’s how Bill Belichick addressed the Antonio Brown allegations today - The Boston Globe

LGBT+

9/12/2019

 
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Not all people are the same and we all know this, some people including us two identify with a certain group of people called the L.G.B.T. community. There has been plenty of arguing about this for decades, It's a very sad factor due to the fact that many people don't agree with people who identify as this due to certain religions and political conflicts or believes. In this article we will cover some of the issues going on today and to all the people out there who do identify with this whether you're in the closet or out and about! We hope you read this article. and non L.G.B.T. folks as well it's still news and good info to know! 

Some upsetting news to the Trans community is that president Trump last January made a law banning Transgender people from the military, Of course they didn't call it a “ban“ instead saying that people who wish to serve must identify and act as there biological gender while under military services and that the Transgender recruits must have to ‘pretend‘ to be their biological sex.“ The American Medical Association rebuffed the Pentagon’s claim that gender transitions were a “deficiency.” ” Which is something that has been argued about because of the number of people who could've helped served our country but instead must either have to act like someone there not or not be able to serve . 

Ok on to another topic. On 9/15/19 the amazing show “Queer Eye” won an award and thats amazing. The Dart Mouth says, “since the show is centered around self-acceptance, there is no shortage of emotional moments in “Queer Eye.” The most poignant moments are those of true transformation — the moments in which clients like Deborah, Jess and Rob face such metamorphosis that they are moved to tears”.
 This award was really an inspiration to everyone. And not just that it's the whole show that's inspirational. Like each person's story from the fab 5 is really inspirational. They all have had to work hard  and push to achieve their goals. And that's inspiring to a lot of people. 

That's all for today! Thank you for reading, I hope this article was interesting for you guys and have a good day bye!! We would like to thank you for reading to this far in the article and we hope you have better knowledge of whats going on in the LGBT world! 

Thank you to these pages for giving us the ability to publish this!! Check them out if you wish to see some news on LGBT events and history with just one click!! 

Story by George Johnson & Evan Bela

Sources: 
https://www.aclu.org/video/victim-lgbt-bullying-ohio-school-tells-his-story 
https://www.aclu.org/issues/lgbt-rights
https://newsela.com/read/pride-anger-LGBTQ-marches/id/31739/ 
https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/chick-fil-gay-marriage-controversy-rises-again
https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2019/04/review-netflixs-queer-eye-continues-to-be-an-inspiring-show ​

The Cigarette Killer

9/10/2019

 
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Many smokers have ditched the cigarette for the vape. You may think vaping is better for you, but read more and you will be surprised. The vape, it seems innocent enough, right? Well, you're wrong some say that vaping is just as bad as cigarettes if not worse.

MD Anderson cancer research center states that some celebrate these smokeless nicotine tools as safe alternatives to cigarettes and tobacco. E-cigarettes may not cause the same cancer-causing effects as smoking but they bring with them other fatal toxins.
​

While vaping is better for your health it can still be bad for it says, Michael Joseph Blaha from Johns Hopkins Cicerone Center for the prevention of Heart disease. Even though they are better for you they are just as addictive as traditional cigarettes. Effects can include Mouth and throat irritation, coughing and wheezing, worsening asthma, chest pain, upset stomach, nausea or if used for a long time - death.

But the pros of vaping against smoking may surprise you. Firstly they do not contain tobacco or as many as the other toxins that are the leading cause of cancer and lung disease. Secondly, they appear to be less risky for smokers who have mild to moderate asthma. And last but not least they may emit less toxic material in their aerosol.

However, information is still coming out on the risks of vaping, with findings being quite scary, so it might be best to just avoid vapes.  


Written by Beck Henderson

Sources:
​
https://www.centeronaddiction.org/e-cigarettes

https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/is-vaping-safe-.h19-1592202.html
http://theconversation.com/vaping-likely-has-dangers-that-could-take-years-for-scientists-to-even-know-about-123051

TikTok Trends: What are they and why do they influence teens to do dangerous stunts?

9/9/2019

 
PicturePhoto from Junkee
Eating tide pods, super gluing lips, and so much more, how did the age of teens come to this? 
​

According to Junkee, teens all around the world have been following crazy trends, even ones that could kill you, all because of TikTok. “CAN’T BELIEVE I HAVE TO SAY THIS, BUT: PLEASE DO NOT HURT YOURSELVES WITH THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE. WE DON’T KNOW HOW THIS STARTED, AND WE APPRECIATE THE LOVE, BUT BOY AND GIRL HAVE JUST ONE WISH FOR 2019 AND IT IS THAT YOU NOT END UP IN THE HOSPITAL DUE TO MEMES.” -Netflix US claimed.There are many other trends on tiktok including, e-girls/boys, soft girls/boys, VSCO girls/boys. These stereotypes include the infamous “Eye roll” which is super popular. 

Lots of people have TikTok downloaded, and have become addicted over the year and a half it has been released.

Q: What is the most popular trend?
A: There are lots, but at the moment I would say the “Spooky Season” which includes snuggling down and watching a good scary movie such as Nightmare Before Christmas, Monster House, or Corpse Bride, and documenting it.

Q: What is the most dangerous trend?
A: The two most dangerous ones so far have been getting out of a moving car and dancing to Kiki Do You Love Me. And the tide pod challenge, which is where kids pop tide pods in their mouths and try not to swallow it which ends up happening a lot. Some other popular trends are TikTok dances. TikTok dances are people just making up dances for the fun of it and filming them doing it. Some of the old dances are, the Hey Julie dance, the Git Up, and many more. 


Another trend is cosplaying, every 1 in 5 videos is a cosplay. If you don't know what cosplay is, its basically people making very elaborate costumes and dressing up as different characters from shows like anime or just your favorite kids show.

In conclusion, TikTok is a way to express your weirdness through second long videos. If you do download it, just be careful not to get sucked into the void of the “For you” page or find yourself not doing homework or staying up till one. In real life if anyone asks you to catch the Woah, you'll know what to do!

DO NOT TRY ANY OF THESE TRENDS!!!!!!!!!! You could get seriously injured and possibly hospitalized.

Story by Ciella Steury

Legalizing Marijuana: Pros & Cons

9/9/2019

 
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Many people know about marijuana and its controversy about legalizing it. It has its pros and cons but it is starting to become legal in some states. In 23 states it came to be used for medical purposes, and in 10 states it is fully legal. But the seeds can be extracted from the plant and made into hemp. Let me define these words for you marijuana/weed are all the same thing and they involve the whole plant but hemp is only the seeds. According to easyread the seeds can be made into an assortment of things with many benefits. One of the most popular things it is mad into is oil. It can also be made into brownies, and vapor when putting into a machine. You may have seen the CBD dispensaries around, these places sell stuff to make from hemp like gummies and oils. These dispensaries require a permit to make the product. But you may be wondering why was it illegal in the first place.

The start of the United States ban on marijuana started when the government wanted an excuse to deport Mexican immigrants, that excuse was marijuana. The government made marijuana a schedule 1 drug, which means that it is one of the most dangerous drugs. Even though it has been used for medical purposes for hundreds of years according to drug policy. But now states can decide for themselves about there laws for the drug.  But now the plant is being researched to find out its medicinal purposes. Another reason the drug was made illegal is methamphetamine. Methamphetamine could be added to marijuana and then that makes it addicting. Methamphetamine is also known as meth and most drugs have methamphetamine is addicting and dangerous. Crystal meth is a schedule 2 drug. Cocaine is also a schedule 2 drug. Which shows you how dangerous the drug is. 

Marijuana is making a come back as new medicinal purposes are being found. It helps cancer patients. It also help anxiety. It is a pain reliever. All the stuff it dose relaxes people so people use it cause it makes them feel good. It as long term effects on the brain like changing your mood, so say when you take it you upset and sad it might make you happy. But it also is known to relieve stress. But a lot of marijuana critics say that it's terrible for your mental health, a study at Northwestern found that marijuana users have abnormal brain structures and the study also says that the younger you start using marijuana the worse the effects are. According to calmca smoking, marijuana is physically worse for you than smoking cigarettes. So overall marijuana has its pros and cons, but its popularity is definitely on the rise.  ​

Story by Garrison Hunt

*AMS does not supporting the use or marijuana, especially for students. 


CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: The Life of Bill Nye

9/5/2019

 
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Bill Nye is a renowned scientist known all over the world.  Bill Nye worked as an engineer with Boeing Aircraft in Seattle, where he designed a hydraulic pressure resonance suppressor which is used in 747 airplanes. And funnily enough, he got his break into television by winning a Steve Martin look-alike contest. Bill grew up with science. He says that his first childhood memory was him playing with a rubber band powered paper airplane. He was trying to figure out how to make it turn, so he could stand still and it would come back to him. Everyone loves bill nye and knows who he is. Heres why.  

Bill Nye is known across the globe for his educational TV show “ Bill Nye the Science Guy”, but he's known for more than just that. He's been on multiple TV shows including “ Blindspot”, “ Living With Ed”, “The Eyes of Nye”, “Dancing With The Stars”, and many more. But surprisingly,  Bill Nye also has some haters. According to Scientific American, “ Bill Nye does not speak for us and he does not speak for science. Tonight, Bill Nye “The Science Guy” will accompany Republican Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK), Trump’s nominee for NASA Administrator, to the State of the Union address. Nye has said that he’s accompanying the Congressman to help promote space exploration, since, he asserts, NASA is the best brand the United States has and that his attendance should not be … seen as an acceptance of the recent attacks on science and the scientific community.” Science American believes that by choosing to come with a republican rep. , he is “working to undermine civil rights.” But, that is an opinion and we don't know for sure why Bill chose to do what he did. Bill Nye is truly a very inspiring person trying to educate the world through humor and fun. 

Bill Nye quotes, “ There really is no such thing as race. We all come from Africa. We are all of the same stardust. We are all going to live and die on the same planet, a pale blue dot in the vastness of space. We have to work together.” Not only is he educating all around the world, but he is trying to make a change for our world. He is working with Climate One to speak to people about the climate issue. They interviewed him about his recent documentary. Heres a piece from the interview. “ Greg Dalton:  So when people say we’re not sure what the climate was like… Bill Nye: Yes we are -- is the response. Yes, we are.

Bill Nye may have some controversy about whether or not he speaks for science, but he is definitely an inspiring, educator, who makes people happy.

Story by Olivia Courtenay-Smith

BEAT IT! The Story Of Michael Jackson

9/5/2019

 
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 Michael Jackson was famously known as the King Of Pop. He wasn’t just famous solo, he was also famous as a child as the lead singer in a lesser-known band, The Jackson five with his four other brothers. He was born in 1958 and grew up with 10 siblings around him. According to www.biography.com he died in 2009 do to a drug overdose. He, Michael Jackson, won 19 Grammy awards. if you want to put that to scale, Adele has won 15 and Justin Bieber has won 1.
Another name to fame that The King Of Pop can claim is the “Moonwalk”. The “Moonwalk” is a hard dance move to master yet he managed to do it. The “Moonwalk” is a gymnastic like move. The first time Jackson demonstrated this move was in a live solo performances of “Billie Jean” says biography.com. The “Moonwalk is a fun move to master if you are up for a challenge and have some time on your hands. Jackson was an awesome dancer so when doing the “Moonwalk he was able to give it a slick smooth look. In fact, he had a whole routine that made the crowd go wild ending in a hard to master toe-stand.

Michael Jackson is still influencing the modern era through his music and the hidden secrets of his life. Some believe that he was a truly bad person, he has been accused many times over of sexual abuse. One of his many choices was to bleach his skin, beneath all the bleach he was African-American. Jackson was also on opioids, a drug that Prince also died by. Jackson denied his skin bleaching and said as found on biographyonline.net “OK, number one. There, as I know of, there is no such thing as skin bleaching…I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of the skin, it’s something that I cannot help, OK? But, when people make up stories that I don’t want to be who I am, it hurts me…it’s a problem for me, I can’t control it.” but as modern technology got more sophisticated we uncovered the truth. But his influence also helps people.

Michael Jackson may not have been the best man at home but he sure was talented on the stage. If you’re ever looking for a rock hit or a Halloween bash to rock out to, he is where you should look. The Jackson Five also has some more kid-friendly songs are “ABC” and “Sugar Daddy”. But whatever you pick, he won’t let you down (If you’re Wondering what a few of his songs are, here is “Beat It’- https://www.youtube.com)!

​Story by Rosalie Sharp

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