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Clubs and Activities

Why you should join Math Team

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By: Ian Larson

Image created with Wonder AI

The first Math Team meeting was in early October, but it’s still not too late to join. There are many great reasons that you should join Math Team.

One reason you should join Math Team is that it’s helpful to have math skills in life. Math Team can help you in your math classes by giving you more experience in math and can even get you ahead in your math classes by learning math that you may not have learned in class yet. Math skills are also good because many jobs involve math and will require you to know how to do that math beforehand.

Having math skills isn’t just helpful for knowing how to do math; it also helps with logical reasoning and problem-solving skills. These are valuable skills for almost every future career, even careers that don’t directly involve math.

Another reason you should join the Math Team is that it helps get into college. Participating in Math Team competitions is great for your college applications because it shows that you went above and beyond to learn about math. If you do well in the competitions, it can be even better.

A final reason why you should join Math Team is because the team is very welcoming to everyone. Even if you think that you aren’t very good at math, you can still join Math Team because you will be able to learn everything you need to know because of the help from the teachers and other students on the team. Anyone can practice and learn math in Math Team.

Math Team is great in many ways and it’s open to join! I hope that after reading this you will consider joining Math team. It’s easy to get started with Math Team by just showing up on a Monday or Wednesday in either Mr. McKay or Mr. Easty’s room.

Music/Concerts

‘The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We’ album by Mitski – Background information

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By: Christine Yang

Information about the album:

The album ‘The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We’ was made by the artist Mitski. The album was released on September 15, 2023, which was her comeback and recent album after releasing an album called ‘Laurel Hell’ in 2022. ‘The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We’ has eleven songs in the album. One of the songs in the album was one of the biggest hits after the release, and the song was “My Love Mine All Mine” with 560 million Spotify streams.

Songs:

“Bug Like an Angel”:

The process of the track, “Bug Like an Angel” has mainly four chords throughout it (chords: d flat major, a flat major, e flat major, b flat major) because the song is about addiction, and Mitski wanted to show it in a musical way that addiction is basically a cycle that you’re just kind of stuck in, it being repetitive over and over which doesn’t end, so the intention behind having the same chords repeating hopefully leads the listener to think what it’s about. Mitski also wanted a little twist/change by having the vocals in the middle of what we think is the chord progression; she wanted that twist to give a feeling of being off balance because the song is about addiction which isn’t a balanced state.

She started creating the song by having a descriptions so it’s easy to paint a picture in the listener’s head; she wanted the picture of someone drinking something out of a glass and which there’s stuff left. While they are drinking out of it, they realized there’s a bug stuck at the bottom of the glass, and because it’s stuck it looks like there’s an angel in the sky. She chose the angel reference so it can set the tone since later on in the song she says something about God and devils, which is supposed to give the listener the option to take two main meanings (positive or negative, pessimistic or optimistic) away depending on what they want out of the song.

After the the description Mitski wanted the protagonist to say something about themselves as an introduction, later on in the song there’s a choir part coming out of nowhere to be the first big emotional moment saying the word “family” with a whole choir out of nowhere, to evoke that sort of intensity with a choir as well. Then it goes back to the corporation and then the second verse, which is a spot to bring another character in and have the protagonist, who we know, point them out saying like, “Hey what’s the matter? You’re looking like a sticker stuck on a floor somewhere”. Which basically means like the person doesn’t look like they’re having a good time, like they look sad, despondent, and that phrase basically brings back to Mitski thinking stickers were so important to her when she was a kid, and how sad it’ll be if some kid’s precious sticker was stuck on a floor and couldn’t get it off. Basically, this brings up how the protagonist faces challenges which make them suffer, and that’s where the “God and devil” reference shows up, saying “is the suffering from God or the devil”, in the third verse. And that’s how the song “Bug Like an Angel” was created.      

“Buffalo Replaced”:

“Buffalo Replaced” is a track that was supposed to give an idea of how the album, ‘The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We’, is like. The track specifically— Mitski and her producer, Patrick Highland, was really inspired by ‘The Velvet Underground’. While the inspiration was added at the beginning of the song, Patrick also added keyboard sounds at the end too, which added something beautiful at the end, in Mitski’s opinion.

“Buffalo Replaced” might be about being dependent/leeching onto someone, and having struggles without the person that you rely on. 

“Heaven”:

“Heaven” is meant to exemplify the little time someone has with the person they love, and to cherish that time and leave the issues of the world outside the room to enjoy the beautiful love they share, Mitski has stated.

“Heaven” was an old song, but the beginning of the song sounded different than how it is now, because the older version didn’t have the swing that it does currently. Mitski was fine with that version; it just didn’t feel like it stood out as much alongside the other songs she wrote that have the same rhythm, so it sat for awhile until she and Patrick tried to figure out how to make it sound on a record.

The first demo version they did actually was right after they recorded “Be The Cowboy” in Philadelphia. That demo version had more of a Patsy Cline swing to it, which is closer to what it is now. The problem was that the track didn’t really have an album that it fit into or in the ‘Laurel Hell’ album so it sat some more, but eventually made the album ‘The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We’.

Since the track was such a romantic song, they wanted to do it with a whole orchestra and a sweeping Old Hollywood sound. They found an orchestrator, Drew Erickson, who did works with popular artists. Erickson orchestrated for “Heaven”, and then Mitski’s team recorded the orchestration part.

“I Don’t Like My Mind”:

The lyrics in ‘” Don’t Like My Mind” are literal and self explanatory, which the listeners can get the grip of what the song is about. The song could be about trying to distract yourself from negative thoughts and using stuff to cope with those things; it can also mean you not wanting to be alone with your thoughts due to negativity.

The production process for the demo was made right after she and her team recorded “Be The Cowboy”, and was also recorded in Philadelphia. The track in the song ended up being easy to make because it was similar and the end result was similar to the demo they made way back then. So, her team just kept the guitar track from the demo.

“The Deal”:

The song started by misinterpreting a Maria Mitchell poem, “How Charming is Divine Philosophy”. The poem is basically about how you discover more about the world and you while going on a midnight walk by yourself. One line in the poem, “There’s a deal to be learned on a midnight walk, when you take it all alone” Mitski misread it as, “There’s a deal to be made on a midnight walk when you take it all along” and before she realized the error she made, she thought it was an interesting thought: like what kind of deal can you make on a midnight walk?

The song “The Deal” can mean wanting your life to be like someone else or your expectations of yourself, and being willing to give or do anything for your ideals.

“When Memories Snow”:

Mitski got the idea of the music for “When Memories Snow” by playing the piano and experimenting with chords inspired by a show instrument, Japanese Shō (doesn’t follow the Western traditional music rules), which can be heard at the end of the song. The song has two parts inspired by Western movie soundtracks and British invasion rock. The song also pushed Mitski out of her comfort zone because most of her songs are quiet/soft which is an easy range for her.

“When Memories Snow” could be about putting the past behind you and focusing on making new paths/memories, and how the past will always be there to either drag or lift you up.

“My Love Mine All Mine”:

“My Love Mine All Mine” is about how to love is the best thing Mitski ever did, and how beautiful it is. According to a quote from Mitski, this song is better than any song she wrote, material possession she gained, or achievement. Mitski also wishes that after she dies, that the song leaves behind this beautiful love in the world.

Mitski’s first moment of the creation of the song started when she was carrying groceries and singing “my love, my oh my”, which she used that part and recorded everything, that’s how the song “My Love Mine All Mine” started/was created.

“The Frost”:

For the song “The Frost”, the producer, Patrick, and Mitski knew that they both wanted to draw from ‘Americana’ from classic country, folk, and old time music. This made them think they needed a band that was versed in those genres much more, and they were able to successfully find one. They even got Brooke Wagoner on the piano, who also did piano on Mitski’s album ‘Laurel Hell’ from 2022. Mitski and Patrick knew that they wanted the song to be live or have an acoustic feeling to it, so they had to rehearse with the whole band for a day then recorded all the songs they did together the next day.

The song can mean being left behind or falling out with someone, and that the friendship/relationship being put behind or forgotten, also not being able to move on from that person. 

“Star”:

“Star” was also an old song, but it started when Mitski went to her friend’s house, playing her acoustic guitar and just started messing around with the track. In the beginning it sounded different from what the track is now currently, the first demos her and her producer made were trying to do a “carpenter thing”, and the demo kind of had the type of swing they looked for.

But the demo felt a bit too happy so they tried a different version that was the same chords but sort of more of like “slow core” or “red house painters thing”, which also didn’t work either and they eventually figured out what’s not working is that there were so many chords per phrase.

They switched to adding a drone just the sustained tonic in the start of the song, and that ended up sounding really good so they built off of that so it started simple with just a sustain, and they decided to keep building off of it, and they took inspiration from Scott Walker at the end of the day.

Both, Mitski and her producer, wanted to add a little subtle orchestration to keep building on it, so they had their orchestrator, Drew Erickson, compose for strings that’s just very subtle, and they also took some parts of the orchestration to support the song instead of taking the spotlight.

The song “Star”, describes two people who are no longer in love, but continues to care about each other partly in memory of the love they had.

“I’m Your Man”:

The process of making this song included Mitski writing it on an acoustic guitar. When she wrote the first half of the song she thought the song was short after listening to it so she had to figure out a way to lengthen it, but the problem was that she didn’t want to add other parts (ex. chorus, bridge, etc). Even though she didn’t want the song to change she decided to add choral voices, which required her getting a choir that sang “yo ho”, that was inspired by pirates and gave her a more masculine feeling that basically led to the intention behind the song. That process also gave the name of the song, “I’m Your Man”.

The song is coming from the perspective of a man in Mitski’s head, basically it’s like the voice of a patriarch in your head because “we” all live in and were raised in a patriarchy. The “masculine voices” in your head depends on, not depending on what gender you are, but in a way of interacting with male figures in your life, and all the messaging you’ve received from the culture and the patriarchy around you. And so the song is to give a voice to that “masculine voice” in Mitski’s head to either help her bring into peace with it or free it up a little bit. This also was inspired by the story of the Buddha and how the Buddha was disturbed while being in peace, but how the Buddha was still kind to their “enemy”.

Mitski wanted to try something similar by just letting the patriarch mind to basically say whatever or doing whatever, which is where the song came from and what the song means too. 

“I Love Me After You”:

During the process of “I Love Me After You”, Mitski made a mistake of recording herself of just playing it on an acoustic guitar and singing along. After she listened to the demo over and over, she tried to figure out how the end result track should be, but she struggled of how it should sound.

After she brought it to Patrick, Mitski just wanted the song to just be acoustic guitar and voice since she was so familiar with it which also made her like the song like that. But she knew deep down that the track had potential and how she was just getting in her way, so eventually Patrick convinced her to do the version that it is today. He wanted the song to be like you’re crawling through something slow motion. In terms of making it, they made it faster and slower to get that feeling to see how it can get to that image.

“I Love Me After You” can be about finding freedom from moving on from a failed relationship. 

Music/Concerts, News

Liam Payne tribute

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By: Priya Anderson & Ruby Anderson

Screenshot of Zayn Malik’s Instagram tribute

From an English town in West Midlands, England, and born on August 29th, 1993, Liam Payne was an English singer-songwriter, and father. Best known as a member of One Direction, Payne’s life is a testament to the power of superstardom, and the beauty of talent.

One Direction, which is one of the best selling boy bands of all time, needs no introduction. The story of how it came to be is a classic amongst Gen Z. Liam Payne was the first member to audition on ‘The X Factor’, a British talent show. He was also the first to advance through the first round, but was cut at the ‘boot camp stage’. Simon Cowell, who would manage and form 1D, brought Liam back. Liam was cut again, but Cowell saw something in him, and encouraged him to come back in ‘2 years’.

2010 was the year it all changed. After returning to their show, Liam was paired with 4 strangers: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. They gained popularity extremely fast. Placing 3rd place on the show, they were signed to Simon Cowell’a ’Syco Entertainment’. From there, history was made. From songs like, “What Makes You Beautiful”, “Live While Were Young’, “Best Song Ever”, and countless other hits, 1D was sent into the stratosphere, and never really came down.

At a very young age, Payne was touring all over the world. Anywhere from North America, Asia, Oceania, and Europe, Payne was living the superstar’s dream. But this type of fame at a young age would take a toll on anyone. Payne struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues for many years up to his untimely death. After 1D separated in 2015, Payne always maintained his hope for a reunion. The group’s success was so monumental, so intense, all the members continued to have a special relationship with one another, even after falling out.

Payne released his first hit single in 2017, “Strip That Down”, which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Payne then released a subsequent album, ‘Bedroom Floor’, and a planned second studio album was in the works for 2023-2024. Payne delved into themes like sexuality, and explored the R&B style he would be known for. Payne was also an extraordinary writer, co-writing almost 30 songs for 1D, and many other artists. Also skilled in coming up with melodies, Payne’s rich voice was perfect for capturing the right tune.

With his singing talent, Payne utilized his fame for good, and was a philanthropist for many organizations. He supported BBC’s children in need fundraising efforts, Comic Relief, UNICEF, and was an ambassador of sustainable development. During COVID, Payne helped fund over 60,000 meals in the Trussell Trust. Prior to his death, Payne donated thousands of pounds to various GoFundMe pages.

Many things could be said about Liam Payne and fame in general, but what is known is the need for people to take mental health and substance abuse seriously. On October 16th, 2024, Liam Payne died after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires. He was 31. This has raised concern about the music industry, media, and adolescent fame. Shortly after his death, fans and friends paid tribute to him. Fans gathered outside of the hotel the day he died, lighting candles and mourning the loss of the pop star. Fan memorials took place all over the world, such as in Mexico, UK cities, and NYC.

All members of 1D wrote eulogies about their friend, and posted them on social media alongside pictures with Liam. One of the most poignant quotes was from Zayn Malik, a band member who was close with Liam. Zayn stated, “I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time…”. Several other celebrities also paid tribute, including Simon Cowell. Liam’s death was a tragic accident, and a circumstance of immense fame. Not much is known about his death, and what’s best now is to appreciate his life and legacy. When 1D finally reunites, Liam’s place will always be cherished in the hearts of many.

Events, Getting To Know/History

Mid Autumn Moon Festival

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By: Cleo Newton

The Mid Autumn Moon Festival is a Chinese festival that celebrates the unity and harmony among loved ones. There’s a well known legend/folktale that goes with this holiday: 嫦娥奔月 (Chang’e Ben yue). The story (according to my memory of hearing it every year) goes like this:

There once were ten suns in the sky, the suns would go around burning up the earth and causing droughts. People were dying because they couldn’t drink any water or grow any crops to eat. To solve this problem, Houyi, being a very experienced archer, was given a special set of bow and arrows to shoot down the suns. He shot down the suns one by one until there was only one left remaining. The last sun was left in the sky to keep the earth from going cold.

As a reward for shooting down the suns, a goddess came down and gave him an elixir (in some other versions it’s a few pills). Drinking (or eating) half this (these) elixir (pills), would make you live forever, eating all of them would allow you to ascend to heaven and become a deity. Houyi gave the medicine to his wife, Chang’e and told her about the effects of drinking (eating). Overjoyed, Chang’e and Houyi agreed that they would both drink (eat) half (I’m not sure why they didn’t just do that right away).

Chang’e was left to guard the medicine while Houyi left to hunt for food (I thought all the animals were still burned up and dead from just the other day 🤔). PengMeng (who in some versions of the story is a student of Houyi, and in others he’s just some guy), had heard Chang’e and Houyi talking about the pills, and decided that he wanted to steal the elixir (pills) for himself. He broke into their house while Houyi was out and threatened Chang’e with a knife, saying that he would kill her if she didn’t give him the elixir (pills). In some other versions of the story, there is no PengMeng and Chang’e was a greedy person who took the medicine for herself. To keep the medicine safe, Chang’e drank (swallowed) the elixir (pills) and flew up to the moon.

Houyi saw his wife flying off and chased after her to no avail. Once Chang’e arrived on the moon, she threw up the medicine and it turned into a rabbit. The rabbit supposedly can be seen on the face of the moon trying to make a new kind of medicine so Chang’e can come back to earth.

Houyi would frequently leave out fruit and mooncakes for his wife (in case she came back) and that’s why every year during the Mid Autumn Moon Festival, people sit outside to look at the full moon, and eat Mooncakes and fruit (Chang’e’s favorite foods).

After reading this I hope you’ve learned a bit about the Mid Autumn Moon Festival.

Editorials/Student Voice, Tech/Games

The pros and cons of AI according to AI

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By: Samson Belihu

Note: I used the App Chat & Ask AI to generate most of the information included in this article.

Pros:

According to Chat & Ask AI, some pros to using AI as a student include:

  • Learning often extends beyond classroom hours, and students may have questions when their teachers are unavailable.
  • AI powered tutoring systems can provide instant assistance through virtual tutors that help with homework or clarify concepts. This encourages independent learning and ensures that students receive help when they need it.
  • AI is Multilingual: You may ask, how is it that AI can understand and generally text in multiple languages, such as English, Spanish, French, Chinese, and etc. and you may also ask why this matters? This matters because it allows people from different countries to communicate effectively, breaking down language barriers.

Cons:

In recent years, artificial intelligence, such as AI has become an integrated part of the education landscape, offering many people countless resources to help students learn and succeed. However, with “great power comes great responsibility”, and many students find themselves misusing AI in school in ways that can undermine their education and academic integrity.

When typically using AI you would want an easy access to info and that’s fine, but there’s an issue with AI in that it doesn’t have any access to the original sources, which is crucial for your info. AI’s are generated based on a mixture of licensed data (that the AI programmers may not actually have a license for), data created by human trainers, and publicly available information up until some training was cut-off in October 2023.

So, AI is not as accurate as you may think it is, so before using the info I gave you make sure to double check it. In closing, I asked Chat & Ask AI: “Give me cons of Chat Ai and target it for students” and this is what it came up with:

As an AI language model, I don’t have access to external sources, databases, or the internet in real-time. My responses are generated based on a mixture of licensed data, data created by human trainers, and publicly available information up until my last training cut-off in October 2023. This means that while I can provide information, insights, and summaries based on that training, I cannot cite specific sources or provide direct references to articles, studies, or books.

Here are some key points to consider regarding my lack of sources:

1. **Training Data**: I was trained on a diverse range of texts, including books, articles, and websites, which helps me generate responses based on patterns and information found in that data.

2. **No Real-Time Access**: I can’t browse the web or access current events, databases, or any live content, so I can’t pull in or verify information from sources outside my training.

3. **Generative Nature**: My responses are generated based on patterns and knowledge from the data I was trained on, rather than retrieved from specific sources.

4. **No Citation Capability**: Because I don’t access or reference specific documents, I cannot provide citations or bibliographies for the information I present.

5. **Encouragement to Verify**: For academic or critical inquiries, I encourage users to verify information through reliable sources or databases to ensure accuracy and credibility.

If you have specific questions or need information on a particular topic, feel free to ask! I can provide insights based on my training, but I always recommend cross-referencing with authoritative sources for critical topics.

Music/Concerts

The meaning behind “ I Know It’s Over” by The Smiths

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By: Kumari Wijetunge

The Smiths (1984 sire publicity photo) by: Paul Cox; Distributed by Sire Records

“I Know It’s Over” by The Smiths released in 1986 as part of The ‘Queen Is Dead’ album stands as one of The Smiths most heart wrenching and melancholic songs. With lyrics written by Morrissey and composed by Johnny Marr the song provides the listener with a candid exploration into the feelings of romantic rejection, personal worth, and the longing desire for human connection.

“I Know It’s Over” is a song about the pain of dealing with unreciprocated love. Lines like “Love is natural and real/But not for such as you and I,” reflect an emotional torment of being unable to experience the love that is given. Morrissey wallows in the sadness and hopelessness of loving someone who won’t reciprocate, with the song repeatedly going back to the line “I know it’s over, still I cling” showing that he knows deep down the truth but just can’t leave yet.

The song’s message reaches beyond just a romantic failure but goes into the feelings of broader existential loneliness. Morrissey’s lyrics convey a sense of isolation, reflecting on feelings of being disconnected with others. Lines like “it’s so easy to laugh, it’s so easy to hate, it takes guts to be gentle and kind” portray the struggle of maintaining kindness in a cruel world that at times is so cruel.

Additionally, it shows the dark feelings of feeling so unloved you’re willing to do anything just to feel something, like expressing thoughts of suicide with the line “the sea wants to take me/The knife wants to slit me/Do you think you can help me?” The line ending with a question further provides more evidence of unreturned love.

“I Know It’s Over” is more than just a break up song, it’s an exploration of human vulnerability, loneliness and the desire to connect with others. Morrissey’s deep and raw lyrics and Johnny Marr’s guitar world make a powerful piece that resonates with listeners on many different levels and can be interpreted in many ways.

Getting To Know/History, Science/Nature

What is the X-59?

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By: Yohan Lee

Imagine flying at the speed of sound and cruising over public places whilst not hearing the sound barrier over you. Well, today I’m going to talk about the X-59 and the history of it.

The X-59 was built by NASA and Lockheed Martin. They both came together to try to build a supersonic aircraft that is quiet when flying over you. The X-59 development began in 2016 and the first machined part was made in 2018, then was revealed to the public on January 12, 2024. The X-59 was built in Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California.

What is supersonic? Supersonic is a loud sound of an object going over 700 miles per hour. Think of a whip and whipping it. That crackle is exceeding over 700 miles per hour. That crackle is a mini sonic boom. But the X-59 just can’t fly at 700 miles per hour or Mach 1. The X-59 can fly at Mach 1.42 or 940 miles per hour. When the X-59 flies over you at Mach 1 you would only hear a tiny thud. That little thud is about 75 db or just below a jet flying over you at 1000 feet which is about 106 db.

The reason why NASA and Lockheed Martin are trying to quiet the sonic boom is because it’s illegal to fly supersonic over the public for 3 main reasons. They don’t want to startle people thinking we’re going to war, it might kill someone or an animal (out of shock or knocking them over), and it can cause property damage as in breaking windows.

So, how can the X-59 achieve going over Mach 1 while barely hearing the sonic boom? Well, it starts with the nose of the aircraft. The X-59 has a sharp nose that cuts through the air making the aerodynamics much better and thus making the X-59 fly faster. The same goes for the delta wings. The reason why the X-59 has delta wings is because it reduces the effects of the shock waves and makes the sonic boom a quieter sonic boom thump.

The X-59 engines are the f414-GE-100 which are the same engines that are used for the F/A-18E/F/G. But the gears are the same gears that the F-16 uses.

The X-59 comes about 100 feet in length and 30 feet in width. The nose takes up half of the size and since the X-59 nose is long you can’t see much throughout the window. So, that’s why the X-59 is equipped with a camera at the end of the nose to see in front of the nose and to see the other side. The X-59 is equipped with 3 screens, one of them is the camera and the other two are for your basic flight instruments which tell what your plane is doing. Since the X-59 just came out, a lot of stuff is still classified.

So, how can it change aviation? Well, NASA and Lockheed Martin are planning to make a quiet supersonic plane and redesign it to be a commercial plane so we civilians can fly over Mach 1 at 700 miles per hour. For a regular flight from a 737, it takes 5 hours to get to California to Florida flying at a speed of 587 miles per hour. But when you’re flying the X-59 it would only take 3 hours flying at 700 miles per hour.

Why are NASA and Lockheed Martin working together to make the X-59? NASA has its team called QUESST which brings Lockheed Martin and NASA together, and under QUESST is The Quiet Crew. The Quiet Crew is a group assigned specifically to design and fly the X-59. Lockheed Martin collects data and helps build the X-59 since NASA doesn’t own many F-16s and F-18s, and again, the X-59 uses the F-18’s engines and F-16’s gears.

Before NASA had an idea to make the X-59 and convert it to a commercial airplane, the Concorde was the first ever super sonic commercial airliner. The United Kingdom and France made the Concorde in 1969. There were only two airliners who flew the Concorde and it was British Airways and Air France. The Concorde unfortunately retired on November 26, 2003, due to high maintenance and fewer people flying the Concorde since each ticket cost $10,000. Plus, the Concorde was super loud which caused many people to not like the Concorde. The Concorde could fly 2 times faster than the speed of sound or 1,354 miles per hour due to the Concorde having 4 Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 engines. Something interesting is that the X-59 and the Concorde had some similarities. They both had a long and sharp nose, delta wings and had stabilizers.

NASA said that the X-59 is going to come out in mid-2030 and hopefully in the future we will have a supersonic commercial airplane. And this is why the X-59 is going to change aviation.

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Tech/Games

The upcoming ‘Re:animal’ game

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By: Julia Yang

Warning: This game will contain extreme gore, discomfort, breaking bones, bodies moving in unnatural ways, disturbing noises, and a variety of horror elements. This is a horror game being created for mature audiences.

Some may know about the ‘Little Nightmares’ franchise, but what if I told you that the same company was planning to make an even more terrifying, gory, unsettling, horrifying game?

This game I’m talking about is called ‘Re:animal’. Not much is known about this game as it just began its pre-alpha phase in August, but everyone who knows about it is absolutely psyched. ‘Re:animal’ takes the scary factors of ‘Little Nightmares’ and enhances them ten fold. ‘Little Nightmares’ was targeted to teens, so gore and terrifying stuff like that wasn’t really allowed, but ‘Re:animal’ is targeted to more mature audiences who are able to take that kind of horror.

In ‘Re:animal’ you play as a little girl— or a little boy! This game is co-op! You can be scared out of your mind with a friend, how thoughtful of them.

The story we know so far about the game is that you reside in an orphanage with all of your friends, but the orphanage— and overall world it seems like, is populated by monstrous animals. Animals like pigs with their guts hanging out, sheep with unnaturally long necks and legs like a spider, even possibly humanoids with animals for heads! Your goal seems to be to escape this dreadful area with all of your friends and make it out alive.

As I said before, this game isn’t holding back, unlike ‘Little Nightmares’. If you’re looking for a gory and disturbing game to look forward to, then ‘Re:animal’ is the game you’re looking for!

This game has not gotten any more news besides what I have said in this article, including the release date. Like I said, this game is still in its pre-alpha phase, so it will be a long while before it’s released to the public officially!

Soon, you’ll find it on the PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S.

Announcement Trailer:

https://youtu.be/mUymvhAXOnM?si=BmJI_LInL4rkwOPn

10 minutes of Pre-alpha gameplay:

https://youtu.be/ou9THu2g3I4?si=jYJFABAppG2cJjKp

Travel/Food

Reviewing a hot chocolate recipe

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By: Max Cahoun & Norah Hoglund

During the wintertime, it is very common to have a craving for hot chocolate. But sometimes, you look in the cupboard and you don’t have any packets. Even so, many store bought hot chocolate mixes have loads of sugar in such a small drink. So, to prepare for the colder months, we tried a naturally sweetened hot chocolate recipe that’s much healthier. The whole recipe is listed below if you want to make it yourself, and here’s the link to it: https://www.recipestonourish.com/nourishing-honey-sweetened-hot-chocolate/

Review:

Taste

This was a really good recipe, the flavor of the hot chocolate was very close to perfect. It was definitely very chocolatey and creamy because this recipe uses milk instead of water, like some store bought hot chocolate.

As for the sweetness, it had a perfect amount and was not overwhelming. The honey in it is a very good sweetening option, because you can add as much as you would like to get the taste you prefer. We added a little bit more than the recipe because we wanted it a little sweeter. Another good thing about using honey is that it doesn’t add any unwanted honey flavor, it just blends into everything else because the chocolate overpowers it.

But what really makes this recipe stand out is the vanilla extract. It added such a good taste and a depth to the flavor of the hot chocolate. Comparing it to Swiss Miss hot chocolate, it has so much more flavor instead of just being overly sweet where you can barely taste the chocolate. It has the most pleasant flavor and you just want to keep drinking it until it’s gone. Our rating for the taste is 9.7/10.

Ease of making

This recipe definitely took more effort to make than a packet of store bought hot chocolate, but it was worth it and the taste makes up for the work you put into it. This recipe has real ingredients that you mix together instead of a premade version that is mass produced and isn’t very good quality. For a homemade recipe, it is so high quality and you wouldn’t even be able to notice that it’s sweetened with honey, and it is pretty easy to make, only taking 5-7 minutes. Our rating for the process of making it is 7/10.

Overall

Overall, this was a really good recipe. It tasted really good, it didn’t take very long, and it’s not unhealthy like store bought hot chocolate. We would recommend this recipe to use all winter and share with your friends and family.

Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups organic or grass-fed whole milk
  • 3 tablespoon cacao powder or cocoa powder (this is the fair-trade cocoa we use)
  • 2 tablespoon mild, light colored raw honey (we use this honey)
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

  1. Add all of the ingredients to a medium-size saucepan, starting with the milk first, then add the cacao powder or cocoa powder, honey and vanilla extract.
  2. Next, gently heat the hot chocolate mixture over low heat for about 5-7 minutes or until desired temperature. Make sure to vigorously whisk the mixture from time to time to combine all of the ingredients. (we find that this works the best once the honey has melted).
  3. As soon as the hot chocolate is warmed, it’s ready to serve immediately. Enjoy it as is or top with homemade whipped cream or marshmallows!
Advice/How To

Pros and cons of mutts

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By: Kara Fini

Mutts are dogs that are a mix of different types of breeds. Many people don’t know about all of the wonderful things that come with owning a mutt, so here’s some pros and cons of owning a mutt.

To start off, mutts are less likely to develop health problems. This is because purebreds have a history of genetic diseases that have developed. This makes mutts less likely to develop spinal disease, heart disease and cancer. Overall, they are stronger and healthier and have longer lifespans.

The next reason that can make a lot of difference for many people, is they are more affordable than purebreds. The initial cost of purebreds usually cost from $500 to $3000 dollars while mutts are generally only about $0 to $250 since most of the time they come from shelters and rescues.

If you want to help save a dog’s life then try adopting a mutt! Most mutts come from shelters or rescues. This means you are providing a home for these dogs in need. Around 75-90% of dogs in shelters are mutts.

The last pro for mutts, is they are not trained to perform certain tasks. Purebred dogs have been bred for years to create a nearly perfect dog for certain tasks, for example shepherd dogs are specifically designed for herding cattle and hounds are designed for hunting. While this is useful when performing these tasks it can become hard to handle in a household environment, especially with children. In mutts these instincts can still exist, but the severity of the traits are a lot lower.

Even though there are so many great things about mutts, here are some cons to consider.

The first is that because they are not a specific breed, if you adopt a mutt as a puppy there little chance you will know how big it will get. This can be difficult for families who need or want a specific sized dog to fit in their life. It can also be more difficult to guess the age of the dog if they didn’t come into a shelter or rescue, not as a young puppy.

The next con is that many mutts come from a background of trauma. This can make it difficult to train, especially if they are in this traumatic event around the age of 8-12 weeks, as this is the time they are most impressionable.

The last reason a mutt might not be for you is that they are most likely not hypoallergenic. Even if a mutt has poodle or other types of hypoallergenic breeds in it, it’s hard to know if they are 100% hypoallergenic.