Lake Compounce

by Kesean Cooper

Lake Compounce is a water park and amusement park all together, like Six Flags Great Adventure. Lake Compounce is located in Bristol, Connecticut. I like Lake Compounce because it is very big and has a lot of things to do such as:

Water Rides

The Lake Compounce water park has a lot of little water slides, called Tunnel Twisters, that twist around. They also have big water slides called Riptide Racers. The water park has a lazy river called Croc-O-Nile, where you can float around and wait for the water slide at the end. When you first walk in the water park, you will see a little water park called Clipper Cove. It has a pirate ship with little water slides and sprinklers, and it also has a big bucket at the top like every other water park. Bayou Bay is the name of the wave pool in the water park, but it’s the one for the big kids and adults. They also have another wave pool called Anchor Bay, for the littler kids; this is one of my favorite water park contraptions. Anchor Bay is also connected to the pirate ship. There is a huge water slide called Mammoth Falls, where you can get in a big raft that can fit 5 people.

Roller Coasters & Thrill Rides

Boulder Dash is a roller coaster that was voted the world’s #1 wooden roller coaster. Down Time is sort of like a Drop of Doom type of thing, but it is shorter and slower, it is a 185-foot drop that goes 60 miles per hour. Enterprise is like a ferris wheel but scarier, it spins very fast in every direction. The Pirate Ship is just a pirate ship you sit in and it rocks back and forth fast. Rev-O-Lution is a platform that you sit on, that spins around in a circle. Sky Coaster is like a slingshot you sit in and it takes you through the sky. The Wave Swinger has swings hanging from a platform that you sit in, then it raises up and takes you for a fling. The Wild Cat is a giant roller coaster that goes 44 miles per hour and has been thrilling families since 1927. Thunder And Lightning is a ride that makes you go back and forth 60 feet in the air. Thunder Rapids is both a water ride and a dry ride. It’s a raft that fits 8 people and goes around a course with rapids slashing and shaking you. Twister is a vortex that goes in the sky and you can control all the spinning. Zoomerang is a roller coaster that goes upside down and will make you barf.

Classic & Kiddie Rides

Dino Expedition is a new attraction were you can walk through the path of history and see pre historic animals. American Flyers are planes that go in  the sky and you can control which way you go. Caterpillar train is a mini train for toddlers. Drop Zone is a mini drop tower.

Coming Soon

Phobia is a new roller coaster ready for 2016. It’s the first triple launch coaster. It goes 65 miles an hour with a supernatural 180 degree vertical twist. As you rip through the maze of rails, you’ll ride upside down 150 feet in the AIR!!!

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

This is the cover of Call of Duty Black Ops 3.

by Caleb Myke

I have recently pre-ordered and watched the trailer for Call Of Duty: Black Ops III and I think it is going to be one of the top rated games of late 2015-2016.

NukeTown!!!!!

In The COD: Black Ops series there a Downloadable Content (DLC) map named Nuketown, which is one of the best DLC maps in the Call Of Duty: Black Ops series. So now there are Nuketown, Nuketown 2025, Nuketown 2065.

COOL STUFF!!!

In Call of Duty there are elite guns that you can customize to make them cooler and they brought back famous scopes like Target Finder, ACOG, EDTech 2.0, and Reflex

COOL EFFECTS!!!

In Call Of Duty: Black Ops III you have the ability to run on walls, swim and teleport while shooting people.

MULTIPLAYER MODES

In Black Ops III they brought back some of the modes in Black Ops and Black Ops II like gun game, sharpshooter, capture the flag, etc.

GAME RELEASE

The game comes out on Friday November 6. if you pre-order now, you will get elite guns with cool customizations plus beta access.

Book Review: Captain Underpants

This the first book in the series Captain Underpants.

by Ezekiel Pena

Captain Underpants is a children’s novel series by America author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. The series revolves around two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, living in Pique Ohio, and Captain Underpants, an aptly named superhero from one of the boys’ homemade comic book. In the book, Captain Underpants accidentally becomes real when George and Harold hypnotizes Mr.Krupp and that was really bad. Ms. Ribble appears in the sixth book, and is still nice to her class. This what you should not do:

Snap your fingers near Mr.Krupp. You’re in big trouble because he’s hard to find.

Pour H20 on him, because then you are in DETENTION.

You should read the Captain Underpants series because…?

I think you should read Captain Underpants because the book is really funny and the 1st and 2nd books are the funniest books. You should really really read them for your life. The cover pictured in this article is the cover that you should look for. If you want to go check out Captain Underpants videos on YouTube, click here.

The Festivities of Parkour

by Mitchell Barcus

Have you ever heard of parkour? Parkour is a training discipline using movement that developed from military training. Parkour can also be called free running or street running. Parkour can be dangerous but fun. I will tell you about who created parkour, why parkour is dangerous, why it is fun and about some of the people who do it.

WHO CREATED PARKOUR ????

Parkour was developed in France, and it was originally created by David Belle.  David Belle was in the movie Brick Mansions. Parkour became famous in the late 1980s and 2000s through films, documentaries, and advertisements. David Belle was born and raised in Fe”camp France. In 1984, at age 11, Belle moved to Lisses, France.

WHY IS PARKOUR FUN????

Parkour can be fun because you’re learning how to do something extraordinary.

 

WHY IS PARKOUR DANGEROUS????

Park is a dangerous sport. One time, I tried to jump down a flight of stairs and I messed up my leg. Another time, I did a front-flip off of a dresser and hit my head on the floor. Parkour is used for bad things like robbing banks or hurting people. If you don’t have the proper training, you might kill yourself. For example, in a parking lot that is elevated, if you jump off the highest part you might be able to land on a different floor of the parking but you also might (splat!) die. Parkour can also be called free running, as I said in my intro.

WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN TRYING PARKOUR????

If you think parkour is dangerous but fun, don’t try it outside but try it first at home. Do it on a couch at first, so you don’t get hurt. You will get better and better. Then when you try it in other places, you will be safer.

 

 

Geometry Dash

by Gurai Williams

I like to play Geometry Dash. Even though that the name says Geometry, it’s not only about education. It’s about keeping the rhythm of a song that comes with the level of the game. You play as a square and as you play you unlock different characters. Then you get colors to change and put on your character. There are two versions: the full version and the demo version, which is called Geometry Dash Lite. But in the full version there are more levels and more characters and colors to unlock. Then there’s the level editor, where you can make your own levels. Then you publish those levels and someone rates, likes, and puts how many stars you get when you beat it. The difficulty levels are easy, normal, hard, harder, insane, demon, and auto but there it automatically does it for you. I like Geometry Dash because I get to play as a square and keep on evolving my character. Then the level editor mode makes me feel like I’m a level editor. That’s why Geometry Dash is so much fun. To get the full version of Geometry Dash on your iPhone, click here.

I can Draw anything!

by Jaden Sanchez

One school day I was playing with my friends until something hit me. I stopped my friends and said, “guys I want to draw…like you guys do sometimes. My friends had surprised faces like this :0 but they said, “okay.” So I waited till it was time to go home. Once I got home, I did my chores  and then I started to  draw something. I drew a game character called Sonic the Hedgehog. My picture was a SUCCESS!!! I started to draw and draw and draw, until today. Now I’m starting to draw pixels. I’m going to continue to draw until I go to an art institute for college.

 

Cardboard to Rubber: Serge Ibaka makes it to the NBA

The prideful, competitive and hardworking Serge Ibaka.

by Tyler Joseph

Have you ever paid any close attention to the hard working power forward and center for the Oklahoma City Thunder? Well, he’s a tough humble guy, considering the obstacles he had to overcome during his journey to the NBA.

Serge Ibaka (known around the NBA as “Iblaka” because of his ability to block shots) was born on September 18, 1989 in Brazzaville, in the Republic of the Congo. His nationality is both Spanish and Congolese, and he speaks four languages: Lingala, French, English, and Spanish.  He is 6 ft 10 in. and weighs 245 pounds. In 2008, Ibaka was drafted by OKC as the 24th overall pick in the first round. Three seasons in a row (2012-2014) he  was named the NBA All-defensive first team player of the year. He also was the blocks leader twice (2012-2013 seasons). During this past season (2014-2015), he averaged 14.3 ppg (points per game), 2.4 apg (assist per game), and most importantly 7.8 rpg (rebounds per game).

Before achieving all of these things or even making it to the NBA, Serge Ibaka faced a lot of long-term obstacles. Serge had 18 siblings (he was the 3rd youngest), so all of the attention from his parents had to be divided equally amongst them. During the war in Congo, his dad was jailed. Prior to that, he had to face his mother’s untimely death. To escape these heartbreaking tragedies, he started to pursue his dream as a basketball player, to follow in his mom’s and dad’s footsteps. While training to fulfill his dreams, Ibaka’s shoes had to be lined with cardboard to cover the holes and rips in the soles. He also lived most of his life without running hot water or electricity.

in a press conference

At age 17, Serge moved to France and joined a Division 2 team. He then moved to Spain, where he had a successful basketball carer and taught himself  his 4th language, Spanish.  While playing in tournaments, he was successful and got the attention of NBA scouts. He wasn’t focused on money, he just told himself, ‘keep working hard. Try to do the best that you can to get better, and everything will come.’ Eventually, he was drafted in 2008 by the Thunder.

In a 2012 interview after signing a long-term contract with the Thunder, Ibaka said, “it feels like two days ago, and now I have $50 million.” He also once said, “so life is like really…I don’t know how to say it in English, but…unbelievable!”

Serge Ibaka may not be the best player the NBA has seen, but considering all of the things that were in his way, he is more impressive than most players nowadays.

 

Inspirational Quote no. 2 by Stefan Allen

“If you really believe in what you’re doing, take nothing personally and if something blocks one route, find another.”–by Laurie Notaro

I think this quote means to never give up, and always have confidence. You need to keep your head up, and keep trying. If somebody brings you down, just get back up and don’t give up. It’s like basketball, if your team is down in the championship game, and your team is, show leadership, stand for resilience. If somebody is trying to keep your team down, just find another route to victory.

NEVER GIVE UP!!!

The Evolution of Computer Storage

What computer storage has evolved into today.

by Gabriel Hernandez

I’ll be honest, learning about computers in general does sound pretty mundane. But have you ever wanted to know where all your free apps, your collection of 506 selfies, and your illegally downloaded music goes? Each of these things are broken into bytes, and stored in drives. I’m assuming that you are familiar with the word gigabyte or GB, which is equal to 1 billion bytes. Seems like a lot huh?

Let’s start from the beginning. In 1947, the IBM 350 was the first disk drive to ever be invented. To lease one (yes, you had to lease one) would run you about $3,200 a month. Was it worth it? Well back then, owning digital space was like owning an IWatch. Only a few people had it, and to less fortunate people at the time it seemed stupid. Fast-forward about 20 years, and the invention of the IBM 2314 was introduced into the technology market. Thankfully, IBM gave the market a different style of hard drives, making them disks.  Each disk drive could hold up to 29MB of storage. As a good bonus, they were easy to put in and take out, as you would have imagined.  Go another 20 years in the future, and the first Gigabyte HDD drive was created. IBM invented the 3380 to accommodate the rapidly growing internet and computers. This HDD drive held up to 2.25GB of memory, and was the size of the average refrigerator: at least 14ft tall–and with size came price, with a tag of $81,000.

Only a couple months later, IBM’s only rival, Seagate invents the first 5.25 HDD drive. Unfortunately, this drive could only hold about 5MB a pop, and had a price tag of  $1,500 at a time, but now would only go for less than a dollar. After another 20 years, the first USB drive is invented by  Trek ThumbDrive. It could hold up to 125GB of memory, and could fit in the average person’s pocket.

Nowadays, we don’t even need tangible computer memory anymore. The invention of cloud memory was introduced in the 2010’s. There is currently 1EB (exabyte) of memory in the cloud storage: thats 8,192,000 125 GB memory sticks or 9,162,596,892,133,330 .12 KB hard disks! I bet you didn’t even try and say that number.

To sum up this article, I just want to bring awareness to readers about how vital computer memory is. Without it, we can’t do our jobs, and we can’t function as a society.

Sources:

https://www.backupify.com/history-of-data-storage/

9,162,596,898,133,330

Australian Baller

Kyrie Irving driving to the basket.

by Kesean Cooper

Kyrie Irving was born on March 23, 1992 in Melbourne Australia. During his childhood his mother, Elizabeth Irving died from an illness. His dad Drederick Irving had to raise Kyrie and his older sister, Asia, and his younger sister, London. Kyrie grew up in West Orange, New Jersey. During a fourth grade trip to Continental Airlines Arena he stated, “I will play in the NBA, I promise.” Kyrie played for Montclair Kimberley Academy for high school, and for college he played for Duke University during the 2010-11 basketball season. Duke advanced to the sweet sixteen of the NCAA Tournament but would lose to Arizona, that was his last game with Duke. Kyrie was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2011 NBA draft.

Kyrie Irving is an amazing player with a killer crossover and a jump shot. He can also drive to the rim and finish over big players. In the 2013-14 3-point contest, Kyrie came out with the win against the reigning 3-point champion Marco Belinelli of the San Antonio Spurs. Irving’s crossover is so deadly he can beat players off the dribble for the score. In the 2014 NBA off-season Kyrie got the best player in the NBA to be by his side: LeBron James, who returned to the Cavs since his departure in 2010. Now that Kyrie had a new wing man, he had a shot at an NBA title.

Kyrie Irving in his Duke Uniform.

During the 2014-15 season he averaged 21.9 points per game, but during the 2014-15 playoffs Kyrie was injured with a fractured knee cap. Cavaliers backup point guard Mathew Dellavedova took his spot for the rest of the playoffs. The Cavaliers made it to the 2015 NBA Finals, but they lost to the Golden State Warriors. After the Finals were over, Kyrie stated that if he had not been injured, he and the Cavaliers would have won the NBA title this year.

The Cavaliers could have a shot at an NBA title now that Kyrie will be back and healthy for the 2015-16 season. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James are one of the best duos in the NBA; they have good chemistry, they both know how to pass the ball and score while being defended. They both also are not nervous in tight games, like when Kyrie hit the game winner against the Toronto Raptors.

Most people think Kyrie is the best point guard in the NBA, but I don’t think he is good enough to be the best point guard. Kyrie could be the best point guard if he could shoot the deep three like Stephen Curry, who beat Kyrie and the Cavs in the 2015 NBA championship. Even though Kyrie Irving is not the best point guard yet, he can still become the best in the history of the NBA.