By Maureen Loftus
Celebrities have been around for a very long time. The Middle Ages had famous troubadours, the Renaissance had painters, there have been opera singers and silent actors. For the past few decades, celebrities have been singers like Madonna and talk show hosts like Oprah. Much more recently, a new kind of “celebrity” has emerged:YouTubers. These people make lots of money by just filming and broadcasting their lives. Some of their videos are fun, like YouTubers who make awesome slime. Then there's the darker side. “Celebrities” who gain followers by causing controversies.
The self-proclaimed sovereigns of controversial YouTubers are Logan and Jake Paul. They each have at least 14 million subscribers each, and they don’t get those numbers by making fluffy slime. Most recently, Logan Paul got in huge trouble for filming in the Japanese ‘suicide forest’. That’s just the latest in a string of disreputable behavior. Their videos can be rude, offensive, and uncivil. After many of his dangerous outdoor stunts, Jake Paul is certified the worst neighbor ever. Those are the mild ones. These videos can teach kids and teenagers bad lessons. Like how being rude to people makes you look cool. If teens see their idols doing irresponsible things, and getting away with them, they might think they are acceptable. Most of what they do is not acceptable, like lighting a pool on fire. The Paul brothers could be ushering in a new generation of pyromaniacs by lighting up anything within arms reach!
They should not be allowed to keep glorifying their crazy and dangerous lives. And people shouldn’t watch it.
Celebrities have been around for a very long time. The Middle Ages had famous troubadours, the Renaissance had painters, there have been opera singers and silent actors. For the past few decades, celebrities have been singers like Madonna and talk show hosts like Oprah. Much more recently, a new kind of “celebrity” has emerged:YouTubers. These people make lots of money by just filming and broadcasting their lives. Some of their videos are fun, like YouTubers who make awesome slime. Then there's the darker side. “Celebrities” who gain followers by causing controversies.
The self-proclaimed sovereigns of controversial YouTubers are Logan and Jake Paul. They each have at least 14 million subscribers each, and they don’t get those numbers by making fluffy slime. Most recently, Logan Paul got in huge trouble for filming in the Japanese ‘suicide forest’. That’s just the latest in a string of disreputable behavior. Their videos can be rude, offensive, and uncivil. After many of his dangerous outdoor stunts, Jake Paul is certified the worst neighbor ever. Those are the mild ones. These videos can teach kids and teenagers bad lessons. Like how being rude to people makes you look cool. If teens see their idols doing irresponsible things, and getting away with them, they might think they are acceptable. Most of what they do is not acceptable, like lighting a pool on fire. The Paul brothers could be ushering in a new generation of pyromaniacs by lighting up anything within arms reach!
They should not be allowed to keep glorifying their crazy and dangerous lives. And people shouldn’t watch it.
The Giannini Politics update, 2nd edition
By Ishaan Bhattacharya
Welcome back to the Giannini Politics Update! Today there will be one topic of discussion: Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency.
Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, that is currently making its investors rich, has recently sunk below $10,000 and is now 50% off its all time high. The last time Bitcoin fell below the $10,000 mark was November 2017. Bitcoin could be falling behind in the cryptocurrency business as it dropped almost 19% within 24 hours.
Now, some people may be wondering what Bitcoin is. Well, Bitcoin is a new form of currency created in 2009 by an unknown identity using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin transactions are made without banks. But still, much of the excitement over Bitcoin is about getting rich by trading it.The price of a single Bitcoin skyrocketed into the thousands in 2017. Some people just buy Bitcoins hoping to see the price skyrocket (therefore making them rich), but it is useful for several other reasons as well.
First of all, Bitcoin makes international payments easy because of the fact that they are not tied to any subject or country regulation. In addition, small businesses may like them because there are no credit card fees involved. Lastly, Bitcoins can be used to purchase merchandise anonymously.
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin may replace regular currency in the future, so make sure to stay tuned for more news regarding cryptocurrencies.
Welcome back to the Giannini Politics Update! Today there will be one topic of discussion: Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency.
Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, that is currently making its investors rich, has recently sunk below $10,000 and is now 50% off its all time high. The last time Bitcoin fell below the $10,000 mark was November 2017. Bitcoin could be falling behind in the cryptocurrency business as it dropped almost 19% within 24 hours.
Now, some people may be wondering what Bitcoin is. Well, Bitcoin is a new form of currency created in 2009 by an unknown identity using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin transactions are made without banks. But still, much of the excitement over Bitcoin is about getting rich by trading it.The price of a single Bitcoin skyrocketed into the thousands in 2017. Some people just buy Bitcoins hoping to see the price skyrocket (therefore making them rich), but it is useful for several other reasons as well.
First of all, Bitcoin makes international payments easy because of the fact that they are not tied to any subject or country regulation. In addition, small businesses may like them because there are no credit card fees involved. Lastly, Bitcoins can be used to purchase merchandise anonymously.
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin may replace regular currency in the future, so make sure to stay tuned for more news regarding cryptocurrencies.
The Giannini Politics update 1st edition
By Ishaan Bhattacharya
Welcome to the Giannini Beacon Gazette Politics Update! Today we’ll be discussing three current events. The first one regards our president, Donald J. Trump’s ultimately senseless Iran Nuclear Deal mess. Next we’ll talk about problems in the NFL related to our president. Lastly, we’ll move on to the relationship between Trump and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-Un.
President Trump announced recently his decision to disavow the Iranian nuclear deal. He threatened to leave the deal altogether if it was not amended to permanently block Tehran from building nuclear weapons or intercontinental missiles. The President has called the nuclear deal “the worst deal ever” which shows why he wants to destroy it.
Secondly, recently, national anthem protests are becoming more popular. Although you may wonder how this topic relates to current events and politics, our president, Donald J. Trump, has been known to influence these protests. On October 23, Donald Trump tweeted, “Two dozen NFL players continue to kneel during the National Anthem, showing total disrespect to our Flag and Country. No leadership in NFL!” This tweet caused more Democrats to support the idea that professional sports leagues should NOT require their players to stand up for the national anthem (from 58% to 71%). The number of all adults supporting the idea increased as well (from 43% to 51%). However, the number of Republicans with this opinion has decreased from 25% to 18%. This sudden focus on the NFL’s issue is a predictable change considering that the President has shifted his focus towards it.
Lastly, on November 8th, the North Korean State Media declared that President Trump should be “sentenced to death” for calling North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un “short and fat.” Trump was described as an “old lunatic, mean trickster and human reject.” The editorial published in Rodong Sinmun, the state’s ruling party newspaper, called Trump a “hideous criminal” for attempting to unite world leaders against Kim Jong Un and for later insulting the dictator.
“The worst crime for which [Trump] can never be pardoned is that he dared [to] malignantly hurt the dignity of the supreme leadership,” the editorial stated. “Trump, who is no more than an old slave of money, dared point an accusing finger at the sun.” It added, “[Trump] should know that he is just a hideous criminal sentenced to death by the Korean people.”
“Why would Kim Jong-Un insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when I would NEVER call him
‘Short and fat’?” Trump tweeted in reply. The editorial also took notice of the fact that Trump failed to tour the demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas - a traditional stop-off for senior U.S. officials visiting the south. Trump’s helicopter taking him there turned back after just five minutes due to bad weather - an explanation the newspaper dismissed. “It wasn’t the weather,” the editorial stated. “He was just too scared to face the glaring eyes of our troops.”
Thank you for reading this edition of the Giannini Politics Update and be sure to read the next article for more information on politics!
Note: All these opinions are those of Ishaan Bhattacharya.
Welcome to the Giannini Beacon Gazette Politics Update! Today we’ll be discussing three current events. The first one regards our president, Donald J. Trump’s ultimately senseless Iran Nuclear Deal mess. Next we’ll talk about problems in the NFL related to our president. Lastly, we’ll move on to the relationship between Trump and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-Un.
President Trump announced recently his decision to disavow the Iranian nuclear deal. He threatened to leave the deal altogether if it was not amended to permanently block Tehran from building nuclear weapons or intercontinental missiles. The President has called the nuclear deal “the worst deal ever” which shows why he wants to destroy it.
Secondly, recently, national anthem protests are becoming more popular. Although you may wonder how this topic relates to current events and politics, our president, Donald J. Trump, has been known to influence these protests. On October 23, Donald Trump tweeted, “Two dozen NFL players continue to kneel during the National Anthem, showing total disrespect to our Flag and Country. No leadership in NFL!” This tweet caused more Democrats to support the idea that professional sports leagues should NOT require their players to stand up for the national anthem (from 58% to 71%). The number of all adults supporting the idea increased as well (from 43% to 51%). However, the number of Republicans with this opinion has decreased from 25% to 18%. This sudden focus on the NFL’s issue is a predictable change considering that the President has shifted his focus towards it.
Lastly, on November 8th, the North Korean State Media declared that President Trump should be “sentenced to death” for calling North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un “short and fat.” Trump was described as an “old lunatic, mean trickster and human reject.” The editorial published in Rodong Sinmun, the state’s ruling party newspaper, called Trump a “hideous criminal” for attempting to unite world leaders against Kim Jong Un and for later insulting the dictator.
“The worst crime for which [Trump] can never be pardoned is that he dared [to] malignantly hurt the dignity of the supreme leadership,” the editorial stated. “Trump, who is no more than an old slave of money, dared point an accusing finger at the sun.” It added, “[Trump] should know that he is just a hideous criminal sentenced to death by the Korean people.”
“Why would Kim Jong-Un insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when I would NEVER call him
‘Short and fat’?” Trump tweeted in reply. The editorial also took notice of the fact that Trump failed to tour the demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas - a traditional stop-off for senior U.S. officials visiting the south. Trump’s helicopter taking him there turned back after just five minutes due to bad weather - an explanation the newspaper dismissed. “It wasn’t the weather,” the editorial stated. “He was just too scared to face the glaring eyes of our troops.”
Thank you for reading this edition of the Giannini Politics Update and be sure to read the next article for more information on politics!
Note: All these opinions are those of Ishaan Bhattacharya.
Mr. Know-It-All’s:
The Sweet Problem 101
By Nicholas Cheung-Solow
Today, I was trying to come up with something to write about. Something I can write a sweet article about. Something so good it would give you a heart attack. As I poured myself a glass of sweet, lemony-lime Sprite (not a sponsor), I realized how many kids just love sugary treats at APG. No kid at this school has not been to Polly Ann’s, Eggettes or Sunset True Value Hardware, at least once, to get some sugary goodness. This is obviously kind of a problem. So in the spirit of Halloween, this is Mr. Know-It-All’s: The Sweet Problem 101.
First, let me inform you about the medical concerns of this issue. Since we are focusing on our middle school, we are talking about the age group of around 11-14 year olds, or, as some people call them, tweens, a combination of teen and twit. According to an article by LiveStrong.com, sugar’s effects on teens include weight gain, mental disorders and heart risk. The article also states, “there are 146 ways in which sugar affects your health. Some of these include hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and crankiness in children.”
Another problem is that kids are spending so much money on these sweets. We estimated that if a kid buys a standard Ring Pop for one dollar from True Value everyday after school, they are spending $180 in just one school year. And the cost of a Ring Pop is really the bare minimum of these prices. A junior-sized ice cream from Polly Ann’s cost around $2.40. That is $432 per school year if they had one everyday. And some of these kids aren’t even spending their own money. Sometimes they rely on their friends’ money, and never pay them back (you all know who you are). Some kids use their parents’ money. Once I saw a girl at Polly Ann’s using a debit card, and it was sure as heck not her money! She’s a 6th grader!
So, what should we do about this? I briefly interviewed the principal, Mr. Schoeman, about this issue. He had heard a rumor a few years back that the APG staff had insisted that Polly Ann’s stop opening around 7:00am in the morning. This was to stop kids from getting ice cream and other sweet treats before school. This rumor is probably true because Polly Ann’s now opens around noon.
So there have been efforts to deal with this problem, but we need to do more about it. We could try to get the other stores to open later too, but, schools don’t have that authority and you can still come after school. So, really there is only one more option: just stop eating junky food. I know that seems too simple, but it might just be that. So, come on everybody, let’s stop risking our heart health and let’s stop wasting money. Because if we want to put an end to this sugar storm, let's make it sweet and simple.
The Sweet Problem 101
By Nicholas Cheung-Solow
Today, I was trying to come up with something to write about. Something I can write a sweet article about. Something so good it would give you a heart attack. As I poured myself a glass of sweet, lemony-lime Sprite (not a sponsor), I realized how many kids just love sugary treats at APG. No kid at this school has not been to Polly Ann’s, Eggettes or Sunset True Value Hardware, at least once, to get some sugary goodness. This is obviously kind of a problem. So in the spirit of Halloween, this is Mr. Know-It-All’s: The Sweet Problem 101.
First, let me inform you about the medical concerns of this issue. Since we are focusing on our middle school, we are talking about the age group of around 11-14 year olds, or, as some people call them, tweens, a combination of teen and twit. According to an article by LiveStrong.com, sugar’s effects on teens include weight gain, mental disorders and heart risk. The article also states, “there are 146 ways in which sugar affects your health. Some of these include hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and crankiness in children.”
Another problem is that kids are spending so much money on these sweets. We estimated that if a kid buys a standard Ring Pop for one dollar from True Value everyday after school, they are spending $180 in just one school year. And the cost of a Ring Pop is really the bare minimum of these prices. A junior-sized ice cream from Polly Ann’s cost around $2.40. That is $432 per school year if they had one everyday. And some of these kids aren’t even spending their own money. Sometimes they rely on their friends’ money, and never pay them back (you all know who you are). Some kids use their parents’ money. Once I saw a girl at Polly Ann’s using a debit card, and it was sure as heck not her money! She’s a 6th grader!
So, what should we do about this? I briefly interviewed the principal, Mr. Schoeman, about this issue. He had heard a rumor a few years back that the APG staff had insisted that Polly Ann’s stop opening around 7:00am in the morning. This was to stop kids from getting ice cream and other sweet treats before school. This rumor is probably true because Polly Ann’s now opens around noon.
So there have been efforts to deal with this problem, but we need to do more about it. We could try to get the other stores to open later too, but, schools don’t have that authority and you can still come after school. So, really there is only one more option: just stop eating junky food. I know that seems too simple, but it might just be that. So, come on everybody, let’s stop risking our heart health and let’s stop wasting money. Because if we want to put an end to this sugar storm, let's make it sweet and simple.