The mother of the two terrorists speaks out to the public about the entire situation and the pressure she is going through. Her reaction to this situation is quite surprising for the public.

Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, mother of the Tsarnaeva’s brothers is a very spiritual person. She has her religious beliefs but when she arrived in the United States in 2002, she went to a beauty school and did facials at a suburban daytime spa, just like any other hard working American. But after she returned to her home country, things started to change. When she moved back, she started to dress more like her beliefs allowed, meaning the hijab and other Muslim outfits. Before this, she wore low cut blouses and wore her hair like in the 1980’s . Since this dramatic change in her appearance, many people suspect her to be a terrorist but her family members completely denied the fact that it is true.

“It’s all lies and hypocrisy, I am sick and tired of all of this nonsense that they make up about me and my children.People know me as a regular person, and I’ve never been mixed up in any criminal intentions, especially any linked to terrorism.” Quote founded on Huffington Post.

She believes in the same religion as her sons believed in which causes a lot of suspicion about her personal and ethical views. Many people believe that she is linked to the Boston Marathon Bombing because of phone calls made through her and her sons in recent years. There is no official evidence that she has anything to do with the attack but, there will a close watch on her and the Tsarnaeva family in Russia by Officials.  

 At New Dorp High School, 12th grader Maxim Kleiman has shared his opinion about the terrorist attack and how he can relate to it.

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Rockstar Games North Division released 2 official gameplay trailers, along with numerous of game shots, and artworks including the game cover box art. On April 30th, 2013, they released three (3) new antagonist’s points of views of their life style. By them releasing those clips, many people got the vibe of what each character does within the game.

Rockstar Games North Division confirmed that Grand Theft Auto V will be released to the public on September 17th, 2013. Many people are still waiting, not so patiently though, we will wait for the best game ever!

“Hey all, we understand many of you guys are disappointed with this news – unfortunately sometimes such delays are necessary in all forms of entertainment, and especially in the case of a game experience as massive and complex as GTAV. However this does not give you free reign to be abusive in comments. The general rules of common courtesy, decency and behavior as listed above the Comment Box still apply here, therefore anyone continuing to post abusive comments will have their privileges suspended. To those of you saying or seeing various conspiracy theories about there being some other ulterior motive for this delay, rest assured that they’re all nonsense – literally the only reason we’ve delayed the release is because we want the game to be as good as it needs to be.” – Rockstar Games North Division

To conclude Rockstar Games’ soon to be released Grand Theft Auto V, this game will be the the one of the best games ever released by them. If you preordered the game back in November 2012, you received a game poster and a limited edition keychain showing various screen artworks within the game. The artworks points out various famous locations within Grand Theft Auto V. Will you be standing online for the midnight release of Grand Theft Auto V?

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Smith 9th street has been closed due to a large rehabilitation project since 2011. The project, entitled the Culver Viaduct rehabilitation, began in 2009 but only required the closure of the station from 2011 to around mid-2012. However the rehab project and the station’s reopening had been pushed back due to both the normal work course and Hurricane Sandy.

“We are very happy to return the Smith-9th Streets Station to the customers who rely on it,
and to return subway service to these growing and thriving sections of Red
Hook, Gowanus and Carroll Gardens,” Acting MTA Chairman Fernando Ferrer said on the MTA website. “This station is vastly improved thanks to the investments of the MTA Capital Program, and we are glad to return it to our customers.”

Opened on October 7, 1933, Smith-9th Streets is one of only two original Independent subway stations constructed above ground. The other, Fourth Avenue, is one station away. Situated at the summit of the Culver Viaduct, the station’s extreme elevation was necessary to allow clearance for vessels with tall masts passing on the Gowanus Canal below. At nearly 88 feet, Smith-9th Streets is the highest subway station in the world, which presented some challenges to the first-ever renovation of this historic station.

The headhouse to the station is now renovated with a maritime exterior.

Brooklyn Artist Alyson Shotz had created a series of artworks for the Smith-9th Streets Station, which uses the local maritime history of the surrounding Gowanus and Red Hook communities. Shotz has had a studio near the station in Red Hook for over a decade, and has been fascinated for a long time by the history that can be found in the cobblestone streets and old factory buildings.

The Arts for Transit artwork in the station is just one of the many key components to the rehabilitation.

The station has refurbished platform edges, tactile warning strips, escalators and windows overlooking New York harbor. The Culver viaduct rehabilitation project had caused many businesses in Red Hook to either close or lose large amounts of money due to the lack of subway service but after almost 2 years, subway service will return to the transit-starved area.

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“ I’ve been helping out the girls with their makeup,” says the enthusiastic Lora Brooks, executive director of Student on Styling, Inc. Student on Styling, Inc., or S.O.S., is makeup line with products named after the lifestyle of the average high school girl. Brooks was proud to be there, supporting the girls and her business by lending a helping hand to the NDHS community.

Hurricane Sandy caused many people to lose their personal belongings, clothes, and even houses. The Prom Expo was just one of the many ways New Dorp High School gave back to the community. Teen girls that thought they were not able to go to prom because they could not afford a dress will now be able to go to prom looking their best.

Racks were overflowing with beautiful, almost new dresses and lockers by Cafeteria A were deigned with curtains to give the illusion that they were in actual dressing rooms. Student volunteers walked with the girls and helped them pick out dresses that were their size, like sales associates in department stores. Girls were holding three dresses at a time, looking through the many tables of accessories and shoes. Local salons were attracting the girls with their discounted prices or even free services for girls to get dolled up for their special night out.

Among the many volunteers was the newly crowned Miss Greater New York 2013 Jamie Lynn Macchia guiding the girls through the process of picking out the right dress.

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The results of the S.I. Railway survey may result in the closure of the rumbling Nassau and Atlantic stations and the opening of the Arthur Kill Road station.

Ms. Savino and several volunteers from the Straphangers Campaign spoke with commuters at the St. George Ferry Terminal during the evening rush hour and handed out surveys. The surveys ask questions about the cleanliness of stations, trains, connections to local buses and the S.I. Ferry.

Commuters are able to fill out the survey on the while they are at the station or while at home and then mail it back to Ms. Savino’s office.

“The MTA needs to fix some of the stations because they are falling apart and it can cause an accident,” said Mike Deluca, a student at New Dorp high school who regularly takes the train at the New Dorp Station.

However, the biggest complaint among commuters was that SIR and ferry schedules often don’t match up, causing them to miss the boat.

“What we want to hear from the Staten Island Rapid Transit people is, is this a valuable service … is it something we should invest in and expand?” Ms. Savino said on silive.com

According to SI Live, volunteers will be handing out surveys at the St. George Ferry Terminal and at the Tompkinsville, Stapleton, Clifton, Grasmere, Grant City, New Dorp and Great Kills train stations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 7 to 9 in the morning, and again from 3 to 6 in the afternoon and evening.

Savino distributed commuter surveys back in 2009 and 2011 for ferry riders and express bus riders that ended up in the addition of a “quiet deck” aboard ferries, more stores in the St. George ferry terminal, and extra supervisors for better ferry and bus connections. According to the MTA website, the express bus survey resulted in 24 hour X1 service and the restoration of X27 bus on the weekend. With that being said, it’s only a matter of time before service on the Staten Island Railway greatly improves.

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Sony’s Big Meeting of releasing the Playstation 4

On February 20th, 2013, the famous Sony Entertainment Company has officially announced the viewing of the all new Playstation 4. Sony has decided to set up a meeting, which you could view online and many websites. The Playstation 4 is leading into the next generation of video gaming experience for all ages. The hardware that is within the gaming console is mind blowing* by itself. The Playstation 4’s RAM size has jumped up to 8 GB GDDR5 of RAM with a maximum bandwidth of 176 gb/s, and an upgrade to an X86 CPU to have games run 16x smoother than what it would look like on the Sony Playstation 3.

“It will be better than the release of possible Xbox 720, there are alot of new features included in the Playstation 4 that the Xbox 720. The graphics are mind blowing compared to Playstation 3!” said Ilir Tahiri a hardcore gamer on the Playstation Network.

From the Playstation 3 to the all new Playstation 4 controller is completely revamped. The new controller now has the features that many gamers wanted for a very long time. The controller consists of having a full touch pad to move around the XMB to the users preference, and as well as for an input to put a wired headset to the bottom of the controller. They took that same idea from Microsoft’s Xbox 360 with the headset input. On the Playstation 3, it was almost nearly impossible to be able to use a wired headset which you would have to plug it into one of the two ports on the front of the Playstation 3 which would not allow you to move around freely with the controller.

“I believe that the ps4 is innovative allows to video games with friends easier that the ps3, it is very future forward, I saw bungies new game THE DESTINY, will definately get the game! very interesting. ” said, Roark Carrique a gaming guru on the Playstation Network.

Most gamers that use the Playstation 3 use bluetooths to communicate with other gamers on the Playstation Network. Now by the Playstation 4 have that option to have an input to use a wired headset to connect to the controller would make life alot easier. Gamers would not have to worry so much as before. This feature would drop the sales of bluetooths by a landslide, more people would prefer wired headsets than wireless and not having to charge the bluetooth in the worst possible times where the gamer needs to communicate with other gamers. In the end, Sony’s Playstation 4 will be the next best console on the gaming market, in other words, big competition. Will you be purchasing the Playstation 4 when released?

—-

Credits
Writer: Timothy Becker
Editor(s): John Vono & Chris Velez

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New Dorp High School had Spirit Week 2013 from Monday March 11th to Friday, March 15th. The week includes activities for students from different academies to have fun. They show their spirit through involving themselves in these events taken place.

On Monday the 11th, students were asked to wear the color purple to show support of anti-bullying awareness. Any piece of purple counted and many students participated because they were gladly against it. Bullying has been physically and emotionally destroying students due to other children. According to bullyingstatistics.org, the most common type of abuse, occurring within 77% of all students, is verbal bullying. Bullying is never an answer including when it affects many kids’ lives.

On Tuesday the 12th, students dressed up as their favorite superhero. Many people went all out will their costumes including Mr. Passalacqua, a teacher at New Dorp, dressed up as Batman. Roarke Carrique dressed up as Freight Train Man, a fictional superhero that he created.

On Wednesday, Pajama Day, many people took advantage of the fact, they literally rolled out of bed and came to school. Students enjoy this because it makes them feel comfortable and at home while in school.

Thursday was Twin Day, a day when you can dress up with friends in any cool unique way. The meaning of Twin Day is to just dress exactly alike as someone, or other words “twinning it”. You plan an outfit and put together accessories to expose you and your twin throughout the day. Seniors Nicole Sannino and Matt Angel dressed in dark grey sweats with a black v-neck top and Jordan sneakers. In addition, Emily Zoda and Roemello Agjmurati, a couple, dressed alike as well complete with a button down brown shirt with rolled up sleeves, jeans, skater-like footwear and a matching grey hat.

Friday was Senior Reversal Day and the Pep Rally. For Senior Reversal Day, students switched places with their teachers, taught their class and their teachers took the place of them. This gave students the opportunity to imitate their teachers and joke around. First period in Economics class, Mr. Reilly’s brother, Dom Reilly, a senior at New Dorp, taught the class instead of Mr. Reilly. Mr. Benjamin was absent so another student was imitating him. All the students who had their fellow classmate as a teacher were able to enjoy themselves on this half day of classes.

During 8th period was the Pep Rally. Students from all SLCs went down to the auditorium to introduce the spring sports team members and the competition cheerleaders. Dancing With the Teachers was a blast and teachers from many SLCS were dancing with their students. One of the most popular hits on YouTube called the ‘Harlem Shake’ influenced teachers to do the same at the Pep Rally. The Harlem Shake starts off with one person with a helmet or mask on dancing while others are minding their own business or talking, then out of nowhere people start going crazy and dancing to the main tune of the song. All in all, it was a fun week for the whole school and showed just how much fun we could have here at New Dorp High School.

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As of  March 12, 2013 NFL free agency began .Teams are looking to make a lot of big moves this offseason. There were also a lot of big name cuts so far.The Philadelphia Eagles release Nnamdi Asomugha and Cullen Jenkins who was part of the “dream team” two years ago. The Oakland Raiders cut Michael Huff and Darrius Heyward-Bey. The Kansas City Chiefs also made a big move this offseason by the acquisition of ex 49ers quarterback Alex Smith who hopes to rebuild the franchise. The defending super bowl champion Ravens traded Anquan Boldin for a sixth round pick to the runners up in the super bowl 49ers. Buffalo also made a huge move by cutting Ryan Fitzpatrick who had a horrible season after getting a six year contract extension two seasons ago. Minnesota Vikings were making moves by trading for the speedy wide receiver Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks for their first round pick this year and a third round pick in the 2014 draft.

Free agency is now upon us and teams are ready to spend big bucks for big name players. Mike Wallace signed a five year deal for 60 million dollars to play for the Miami Dolphins where everyone already saw him wanting to play. Wallace is considered a blue-chip player because of his speed and his age of 26.The Dolphins also signed Dannell Ellerbe for a contract worth 35 million for five seasons.Paul Kruger who was part of the super bowl winning Ravens has decided to take his talents to cleveland for a deal that is worth 40 million dollars for five years. Many teams have planned visits with a lot of big name players like Ed Reed, Charles Woodson and Jake Long. More big name free agents sign on March 13, 2013. Wes Welker long time Patriot signed a two year deal with the Denver Broncos. Since the Patriots couldn’t sign Welker they go out and sign Danny Amendola to a five year deal. The Buccaneers also get a big name safety Dashon Goldson who was on the 49ers. As it can be seen, there have been a lot of signings, trades, and cuts during this NFL offseason.

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On October 7th, 2003, Ryan Halligan, a 13 year old boy at the time living in Essex Junction, Vermont, committed suicide due to cyber bullying and real life bullying in Albert D. Lawton Middle School

Since the death of his son John P. Halligan has visited 38 out of 50 United States including the countries of Mexico and Canada, addressing issues of bullying and suicide prevention.

On March 4th, 2013, Mr.Halligan visited New Dorp High School, telling the story of his son Ryan and his experience. Every presentation he exhibits to schools, he hopes students will leave the auditorium a little more aware of how they speak to others.

Ryan’s bullying began with verbal abuse in the fifth grade from classmates due to his former special education needs and his awkward physical shape.

As the bullying became more serious, Ryan wanted to learn how to defend himself in case the situation escalated. He was intrigued with tae bo kickboxing and received it as a christmas present that year.

After he fought the bully in a park near school, Ryan befriended his foe and received no abuse for the rest of seventh grade.

Until the eighth grade, as he became closer with his new friend he began to share more personal stories, trusting that nobody will find out. Shortly after, false rumors spread around school and the abuse began again.

In addition, Ryan began to have feelings for a girl from school he was talking to on the internet. Although when she saw him she told him he was a loser and wanted nothing to do with him.

“It’s girls like you that make me want to kill myself,” Ryan said to the girl.

Shortly after, Ryan passed away due to suicide.

Mr. Halligan refuses to believe that the journey between him and his son is over, he  is confident that he will be reunited with his son someday. Until that day he spends a lot of time speaking about bullying and suicide prevention.

Shortly after his son’s death, on May 18th, 2004, Mr. Halligan got Governor Jim Douglas to pass the “Vermont’s Bully Prevention Law – ACT 117.”

Halligan has brought to many people’s attention that its more than kids just being kids. Now, Vermont has no toleration towards bullying and will put an end to self inflicted harm.

“All of you are loved beyond belief,” said Mr. Halligan in the New Dorp High School assembly. “Don’t believe for a second that you don’t matter and don’t take anything for granted.”

As Halligan gives presentations in schools all over the country, he hopes to influence more states to pass laws on bully prevention.

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The increase in price  to go to work is one of Staten Island’s main problems. Depending on their income, some have limited money to spend on  tolls everyday and have to provide for their families. According to CBS, tolls on the Henry Hudson Bridge will increase to $2.44 for E-ZPass users, up from the current $2.20. For others, the toll will increase to $5.

Ms.Oconnor, a teacher at New Dorp High School, said, “I’m disappointed in the toll hikes because my mom lives in Brooklyn, so when I pick her up it costs me twenty-one dollars.”  She also added, “They are charging me to support the transportation system and I don’t actually use it.” Clearly, the increase in the toll hikes will impact many Islanders.

from Acma on Vimeo

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