Cubs Dominance

Just how good are the Cubs? Well let’s start with the fact that they are 24-6, which is the best record through 30 games since the Detroit Tigers back in 1984; and they won the World Series in convincing fashion. Every ESPN preseason analyst picked the Cubs to be a 100 win team. From this point on the Cubs would have to finish 76-56 to win 100. This is an easily accomplishable feat given the plethora of talent on this team. This talent includes: Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta who might as well be an automatic win for the Cubs at this point given just how good he has been. Others include MVP candidates Anthony Rizzo and Dexter Fowler, along with other role players Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Javier Baez and Jason Heyward. The Cubs pitching staff also boasts the leagues best pitching staff with a team ERA of 2.48 and the closest competition is the other Chicago team, the White Sox who are 30 point behind them at 2.78! The staff led by Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester and Jason Hammel is simply dominant. The Cubs are averaging 3 more runs per game than their competition and are just simply dominant. At this point in the season I’m picking the Cubs to face the Blue Jays in a battle of the best staff vs. the best offense in the league. We all thought that the Mets would have the best staff at this point in the year, but no, the Cubs are sitting atop the MLB pitching staffs. The Cubs just simply are dominant.

Norovirus Breakout on Cruiseship

Passengers on a cruise have recently experienced an outbreak of norovirus. Norovirus is the most common strand of the stomach virus. The ship was traveling from England to Maine and while they were on the way about 27% of all the passengers fell ill. 252 passengers became sick and 8 crew workers also got a case of the "stomach bug."

The company that owns the ship Balmoral is called Fred Olsen Cruises has begun to go to more extreme cleaning measures. The cruise left England on the 16th of April and was supposed to last until the 20th of May (a thirty-four day cruise). The ship was docked all weekend and was cleaned very thoroughly to try and stop the outbreak. The passengers will board again to complete the trip if all goes as planned.

Written by Emily Taylor

Capital Punishment: Yes or No?

Capital punishment, many people are in favor of it and many are not. Capital punishment in all honesty does not really deter crime. Statistically, there is no backing to the claim that it deters crime. Honestly, I would rather see a man rot in jail, and see everything he is missing around him rather than give him the easy way out. Death definitely is a cop out for inmates. Although a lot of inmates don't want to die, having them serve a sentence would be more of a punishment than ending their life early. Why kill someone when their torture is being locked in a cage with other people who have done similar crimes? Why kill someone so they don't have to wake up every day to a repeated cycle where other grown men and women have free reign over them? Why not? The human mentality is somewhat rebellious, and no one wants to be told when to eat, and when to sleepy, or how many showers a day they can take. I would rather someone end my life early so I don't have to deal with a structured life. Comment thoughts below.

Written by Josh Lewis

Will Steph Return?

Being completely honest I don't believe Steph will be able to return in game 3 on Saturday and if he does, there's a higher chance that he could re-injure his knee, And, worst case scenario, if he injures his knee, the healing time is certain to be longer and he might just miss out on the playoffs. As of now, the Warriors are 2-0 in the playoffs against the Damion Lilard and the Trail Blazers. But, if Steph does not return, will the Warriors keep the chain moving? I'm not saying the Warriors haven't been playing well against the Blazwrs, but It's exciting to see all the players healthy on the floor including the Splash Brother Steph Curry. Plus, who are the Splash Bros without Steph?! Steph says that there is a pretty good chance that he will play in game 3. Warriors GM says that Steph isn't qualified for making a definitive statement, but Myers put Curry on a similar timetable. With the rate that the Warriors are going, with a 2-0 record it wouldn't really matter if Curry returned Saturday, Monday or Wednesday.

Written by Carlos Marrow

Rescues in Nairobi, Kenya

After a building collapsed on April 30,  a woman was rescued and rushed to the hospital. A building collapsed on April 30, due to its poor foundation and conditions. Many apartment buildings are built poorly and barely pass building inspections in order to cut costs. When it first collapsed, at least 77 people and some rabbits were still inside. A baby was recovered unharmed 3 days ago, but the woman rescued today was trapped for a total of 6 days without food or water. She was rushed to the hospital and is only weak and dehydrated. Rescue workers report that at least 70 people still missing.

Written by Keira Zirkle

NFL Draft: Winners and Losers

So the draft is over and after months of anticipation every team now has their young rosters set. Everyone from pick 1 to pick 253 is valuable because to ever get to the draft you have to be incredibly talented and very smart so without further ado, let’s take a look at the winners and losers from the 2016 NFL draft.

Winners

Jacksonville Jaguars:

I think the Jaguars are the clear cut winners of this draft. They had the 5th pick in the draft and got who I think was the number 1 guy in cornerback/safety Jalen Ramsey from Florida State and then traded up to the 36th pick and got the 2nd best player in the draft, linebacker Myles Jack out of UCLA. It’s not that rare to see a team pick up 1 really good player because most teams get at least 1, but to get the best 2 players in the draft in almost unheard of. Both of these guys will have immediate impact on the Jags and help to boost the horrendous defense this team has put on the field these last few seasons.

Minnesota Vikings:

The Vikings had a brilliant draft, filling the holes in their roster that needed to be filled. Laquan Treadwell is the best receiver in the draft and will certainly help to mold young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater into a really good quarterback. 2nd round pick Mackenzie Alexander is another guy who will help give a boost to this defensive secondary which had only 8 interceptions last year. Alexander didn’t have 1 interception in his last 28 games in college, but he also didn’t allow any touchdowns in his last 23 games.

Buffalo Bills:

The Bills also killed it man. In the first round Shaq Lawson fell right into their hands with the 19th overall pick. Lawson will definitely fill in the vacancy left by a departing Mario Williams with his combination of quickness and strength. 2nd round pick Reggie Ragland I think was their best pick. The Bills haven’t had a legitimate middle linebacker since Kiko Alonso back in 2012 who they traded the Eagles. Ragland brings that rough and tough style that I love to see in linebackers. Starting at MLB for Alabama is not easy, but Ragland made it look like it was. Side note: If he can play like he did in college quarterback Cardale Jones will turn out to be a stud having never lost a college football game.

Cincinnati Bengals:

The Bengals drafting was so good because all of their players they got for a steal. William Jackson III could be the best cornerback in the draft besides maybe Vernon Hargraves and taking 2 dominant defensive linemen like Andrew Billings and Christian Westerman in the 4th and 5th rounds respectively is downright crazy talk.

Losers

Miami Dolphins:

The Dolphins draft to me was OK at best. Yes Laremy Tunsil is a beast and should be treated as such, but smoking a bong through a gas mask before the draft is not a way to keep your job. Also 3 round pick Kenyan Drake was a waste of a pick to me especially a guy like Devonte Booker of Utah still on the board. I think that if Tunsil can fix his off field problems, this draft wouldn’t be a complete loss.

Oakland Raiders:

So I’m ok with first round selection Karl Joseph, safety out of West Virginia, but it was downhill after that. Connor Cook in the third round was a waste. Derek Carr is already turning out to be a great pick a few years back for them, so they don’t need another quarterback. DeAndre Washington, running back out of Texas Tech is not a bad player, but Oakland already has Latavius Murray and George Atkinson III as tailbacks so it’s kind of pointless. I’m not saying that they picked bad players but they didn’t draft where needed. (Defensive lineman)

Carolina Panthers:

Honestly the Panthers don’t even need that many new players because they already have great roster, but the panthers didn’t do so well. Their first pick Vernon Butler is ok, and he could help this defensive line, but he’s not the best lineman in the draft. And they completely overdrafted for defensive backs James Bradbury and Darryl Worely. I would say Carolina were the ultimate losers in this draft.

Unknown

New England Patriots:

The Pats didn’t even get a pick until #60 but they still have a shot of doing pretty good. Cyrus Jones was a good first pick to help and bolster up the defensive secondary. Plus Joe Thuney couldn’t hurt the NFL’s worst offensive line. I have these guys at unknown because we don’t know what they could have gotten if not for them losing draft picks due to deflategate. So this is definitely going to go down as an unknown.

Dallas Cowboys:

Of course Dallas winds up here because they drafted an injured player in Jaylen Smith and they took Ezekiel Elliot as a first round pick. Drafting a running back in the first round has been risky in the past (Trent Richardson). So if Elliot and Smith prove to be valuable picks this will be a win, if not they caught and L.

Written by Kenny Quinn

The End of the Year

This year was full of ups and downs, and twists and turns. The year is coming to a close, and it went by pretty fast. The moments felt like seconds, but the memories I gained this year will last me a lifetime. I learned things from various persons, from spirituality to just being a man. If nothing else, this year taught me that I have a lot of growing up to do, but to also seize each moment, we are on borrowed time therefore we should make the best of it.

The first highlight of my year was definitely the NYSUM trip. I grew spiritually and got to see God reveal a lot of gifts I have to me in ministry. In addition to that beautiful New York trip, I was forced to face my fears through multiple drama productions where I had a fair amount of lines. Those things helped shape me, however reluctant I may be, if my name is called upon I want to be able to say yes and do my best. To be continued... Anyone who wants to share their yearly memoirs be free to comment below.

Written by Josh Lewis

Trade Up or Down?

It is often seen in the NFL that a team with a specific need will trade away current players or later round draft picks in order to get a specific player earlier in the draft. This was the case 3 specific times in this year’s draft. The first was by the Rams. The Rams were initially not even supposed to have a top 10 pick in the draft; however, they wound up trading for the number 1 pick and took Jared Goff. Should they have done this? I say yes. The Rams need a franchise quarter back that can be there to lead a team to success. They lacked this last year with a rotation of Austin Davis, Nick Foles and Case Keenum. I believe that Goff will bring one of the most talented arms ion recent memory to LA and help to make the Rams a contender.

The second sighting of a trade up this year was the Eagles trade to get Carson Wentz. The Eagle traded away their first-round pick (eighth overall), their third (77th) and fourth (100th), along with their 2017 first-rounder and their 2018 second-rounder in order to get Carson Wentz. I personally say this wasn’t worth it. they gave away 2 first round picks, a second, third and fourth round pick, but they only got Carson Wentz. Now don’t get me wrong if he is the 2nd coming of Peyton Manning, then I’ll take it back, but regardless the Eagles have released a statement that Sam Bradford is going to start for them next season so it kind of seems like a waste to me.

The third specific time was a brilliant move the Jaguars made. These guys literally got to draft Myles Jack at number 36 which is completely insane. The Jags traded their third round pick and a later pick in the draft and got one of the best defensive players in the draft. This move gets an A+ from me.

Teachers in Detriot Continue "Sickout"

This past Monday, May 2nd, teachers in Detroit once again had a sickout. Ninety-four of the Ninety-seven public schools were closed due to protesting by the teachers. The educators are upset because they found out they might not be paid after the 30th of June. The district is in major trouble financially; it is about $515 million debt.

Teachers are refusing to work without pay and about 46,000 students are being affected by this. Back in January, teachers also called in sick because they were fed up with their hazardous working conditions. Now the teachers are protesting because they are being told they might not be paid. School was canceled this past Monday because all the teachers rallied together and called in "sick."

Written by Emily Taylor

Zero to Hero

There have been many many many adaptations of Hercules but none of them are as good as this one.

Disney found a way to take the legend of Hercules and make it child friendly but still awesome.

They make Hercules a relatable character by making him an awkward teenager who can't seem to do anything right or fit in anywhere. He has to figure out who he is and whether ornot his lineage dictates who he is.

Meanwhile he starts falling for a sarcastic girl named Meg. She's a really funny character and her quick wit makes the movie hilarious. And let's not forget all the mythical creatures and Greek mythology thrown into the mix. Centaurs and fauns and angry gods, oh my!

Hercules must fight his way through obstacles in order to prove that he truly understands what it means to be a hero.

It's a fantastic kid's movie but there are some gross parts. I used to watch it on repeat as a kid. There’s singing of course because this is a Disney movie. The songs are catchy and memorable. If you haven’t seen Hercules, I would suggest watching it. It’s a great film.

Written by Jasmine Bonner

Sport Stacking

People first played a Sport Stacking in the early 1980s. The aim of the game is to stack a set of 12 plastic cups into a pyramid in as little time as possible. Athletes from the Taiwanese World Sport Stacking Association won 11 gold medals at the World Championship. A 15-year-old girl won four of the medals herself. Her best time is 5.615 seconds. She says that this is the high point in her career. She says that she is under a lot of pressure, but she is trying to keep calm and get even better. The young athletes practise together once a month. For the rest of the time, they practise on their own. One seven-year-old girl says that she spends an hour a day practicing. Taiwan will host the next World Championship in Cowshung City.

Written by Billy Coles

Poem of the Week

The moment when, after many years

of hard work and a long voyage

you stand in the centre of your room,

house, half-acre, square mile, island, country,

knowing at last how you got there,

and say, I own this,

is the same moment when the trees unloose

their soft arms from around you,

the birds take back their language,

the cliffs fissure and collapse,

the air moves back from you like a wave

and you can't breathe.

No, they whisper. You own nothing.

You were a visitor, time after time

climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming.

We never belonged to you.

You never found us.

It was always the other way round.

~ Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood is a Canadian poet and essayist. She has written 15 anthologies and at least 6 novels throughout her life. She is also a social and environmental activist that uses her novels to write about the social injustices towards women and people of color. She has won six literary awards and was “inducted to the Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2001.” She invented the LongPen, a device that “...allows a person to remotely write in ink anywhere in the world via tablet PC and the internet. It also allows for an audio and video conversation between the endpoints, such as a fan and author, while a book is being signed.” She currently speaks at various universities throughout the United States and Canada.   

Poem of the Week

By: Keira Zirkle

The Spring Musical

"Warring In Christ" was performed Friday night by Hampton Christian Academy students. The play was awesome. There were several human skits, dance routines, and musical performances. The play itself was a roller coaster that started with a hype fight song and slight technical malfunctions, but ended with a hype cast bow out. The play centered around the 5 trials a Christian can face, the battles against the Mind, Fear, Isolation, Stereotypes, Pride, and Understanding God’s Intention.  Noteworthy performances were by Katelyn Savell and Brandon Blair, who both did a performance of poetry. Most of the cast had solos throughout the play that were sung beautifully. Some of the soloists had never sung in public, but their performances were as if they sang in shows every week. I might be biased, but the play was fantastic.

Luke Walton Contracted to Lakers

Luke Walton just signed a contract to coach the Lakers. I'm excited to see what he does as a Lakers head coach. He has proven that he is a good coach while coaching the Warriors, but a question to ask is was it his coaching, the talent of the team, or was it both. Luke acquired a record of 39-4 during his tenure as head coach. In all honesty it's hard to judge how well he will do as a coach, because he was coaching a reigning championship team. That is exactly the opposite team that he will have this upcoming year. Only time will tell, but I can say he is getting a lot of young raw talent next year.

Written by Josh Lewis

Olympic Torch Lighted

On Thursday, the Olympic torch began its journey from the site of the ancient games to Rio de Janeiro. It will travel six days around Greece before going to Brazil on May 3rd. There, it will travel around 329 cities before ending at the opening of the Olympics in Rio on August 5th. This is the 80th time people carry the torch from Greece. The first one took place ahead of the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin. Brazil is going through difficult times. The Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is fighting for her political survival, and the country could not bring back its economy. Also, there are a lot of problems with preparations for the Olympic Games and there is not enough money. However, the International Olympic Committee president is optimistic. He says that the torch is a symbol of peace and harmony, and the power of people to come together.

Written by Billy Coles

Me Before You

Not a lot of romance movies have come out this year with all the super movies coming out. But this one has caught my eye.

Emilia Clarke (from Game of Thrones) and Sam Claflin (Finnick from Hunger Games Mockingjay) are starring in it. They make a good looking couple and their chemistry onscreen is really believable.

Sam Claflin’s character is in a wheelchair and has been depressed. His family wants for him to enjoy life despite his accident. Emilia Clarke is a flash of color in his grey world. She spends time with him and shows him he can still enjoy life.

I think it might be sad but I haven't seen it yet but if you like romance movies go see it and then tell me what you think.

Written by Jasmine Bonner

The Colossus by Sylvia Plath

The Colossus
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BY SYLVIA PLATH

I shall never get you put together entirely,

Pieced, glued, and properly jointed.

Mule-bray, pig-grunt and bawdy cackles

Proceed from your great lips.

It’s worse than a barnyard.

Perhaps you consider yourself an oracle,

Mouthpiece of the dead, or of some god or other.

Thirty years now I have labored

To dredge the silt from your throat.

I am none the wiser.

Scaling little ladders with glue pots and pails of lysol

I crawl like an ant in mourning

Over the weedy acres of your brow

To mend the immense skull plates and clear

The bald, white tumuli of your eyes.

A blue sky out of the Oresteia

Arches above us. O father, all by yourself

You are pithy and historical as the Roman Forum.

I open my lunch on a hill of black cypress.

Your fluted bones and acanthine hair are littered

In their old anarchy to the horizon-line.

It would take more than a lightning-stroke

To create such a ruin.

Nights, I squat in the cornucopia

Of your left ear, out of the wind,

Counting the red stars and those of plum-color.

The sun rises under the pillar of your tongue.

My hours are married to shadow.

No longer do I listen for the scrape of a keel

On the blank stones of the landing.

Sylvia Plath published this poem originally in 1957. This poem was part of an anthology, Colossus and Other Poems, that was published in 1960. Sylvia Plath wrote this poem in memory of her 80 year old father who had died. Many analysis of this poem was made to understand what she was saying about her father, or the possibility that she was talking her rights of a woman climbing the colossus of society.


By Keira Zirkle