Bitcoin the Worldwide Payment System

By: Jacob Perkins

What is bitcoin? Many people have asked this question in the past few weeks and it is becoming one of the best stocks in the market today. Bitcoin was created by Sergio Lerner in 2009. A Bitcoin is an online currency that basically eliminates the middleman known as the banks. The reason Bitcoin was made was because of controversies surrounding the banks with scams on taking your money with no return. Eliminating the process of the banks means that there are no transaction fees and no time is spent waiting for banks approval your transactions with bitcoins can be done in less than a minute. Why bitcoin is so big is because the stock is blowing up. In the stock market bitcoin has grown 1,509 percent in one year and is still expected to skyrocket. Just one bitcoin in the United States is worth 10,466.92 this is caused because of the high demand of the stock. In 2010 when it first came out the price of a bitcoin was eight cents. There is no main ruler or manager of bitcoin so all transactions are completely anonymous so you could basically buy anything your heart desires. All bitcoins you have and receive are put in your so called wallet online.

Are We Real?

By: Jordan Kolek

What if I told you that when we are not looking at something, it doesn’t exist? When you leave your bedroom in the morning it simply vanishes. The only thing that makes it real is your consciousness. What if we are the creations rather than the creators?

There are hundreds of theories that attempt to explain what exactly we are and why we are here. Theoretical physicists have tried proving that we are living in a matrix style simulation. Today we are capable of simulating a virtual reality (VR). By using a headset and multi-projected environments we are able to generate realistic images and sounds to stimulate a person’s brain into thinking it is in a completely different world. Nowadays computers are able to process huge amounts of data which is essential for creating a simulation. Some simulations today are games, some simulate history, and mimic real life occurrences. If it is possible, why wouldn’t the creator do it? It would take one person to create what we think is reality. This is all comparable to the Sims. A game that lets you control the everyday actions of humans. If you don’t make them eat they die, you make them wake up, go to bed, all with the click of a button.

There are various reasons someone or something would even want to do this. Whether it is for entertainment, or a scientific experiment. Maybe the simulation we are in is far too advanced for us to notice. The Matrix offered the example of deja vu. In other words, when something seems inexplicably familiar. When you get that feeling that you have already lived the present situation. Maybe the simulation is skipping like a scratched CD. Supernatural occurrences and miracles are another great example for how our lives could literally be a computer simulation. Only some people say they have witnessed the supernatural, those who have may have an error in their coding. This also goes for sickness and mutations, there could be a bug in the simulation that causes these things.

Our entire lives are based around math. The human Genome Project which sequenced the chemical based pairs that make up yours and my DNA was all solved using computers. “If everything is mathematical, everything could be broken down into binary code.” (Listverse.com) Computer’s today are mind bogglingly powerful, so could the Human Genome sequence be used to create an entirely new being? The fact that Earth is even able to sustain life is insane! We are just the right distance from the sun, gravity is not too strong, the tilt of the Earth’s axis is just right, the rate at which we rotate is not too fast. If any of these things were just a tad different, we wouldn’t even be alive!

This almost makes it seem like someone chose the physical properties that were required to sustain life from some sort of software and plugged it in. All of this would explain Alien life! Maybe aliens are much more advanced and are able to make themselves invisible to us. Could this be the “supernatural” encounters people are talking about? The universe is massive! The odds of us being the only ones in it are very slim. Unless the universe is a projection. If you think about it, it is quite possible. The so called “closest” solar system to us is approximately 15.3 light years or 145 trillion kilometers away. Meaning it would take something going at the speed of light which is 671 million miles per hour 15.3 years to arrive! If that is only how far away another solar system is, imagine how far another galaxy is. The distance of our universe is incomprehensible. Some sort of projection makes much more sense. If it was a projection, it would explain why have never encountered any alien activity.

Nobody will ever truly know why we are here, or how we got here. There is no way of ever really knowing. It will remain a mystery until the end of time. Life is absolutely astonishing and beautiful no matter how it was formed. So live your life to the fullest even if it is a simulation because this is the greatest opportunity we will ever have, consciousness itself.

Farming

By: Ty Sibiga

There is an epidemic going on in the farming community. Many families that own farming operations simply cannot afford to stay in business with the low prices. They are usually self-employed which means they run their own business and operation. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers held about 929,800 jobs in 2016 about 7 out of 10 were self-employed, the rest were wage and salary workers. Farming is usually saw as a dirty, poor man career, but in all reality, farmers make the U.S. and other nations thrive. Many farmers are being shut down because they are not being paid enough to cover the costs of what they farm. The dairy farming community is taking the hardest hit, and almost half of every family owned dairy operation is being shut down because of the low milk price. Sandra Prokop, whose family farm milks 375 cows in Middleburgh, Schoharie County, said “The farm's monthly milk check revenue is down $40,000 since December, as prices have plunged”. The farm has seven employees, and she estimates it contributes $2.5 million annually to the local economy. If the local farms are being shut down it will significantly impact the local economy. If the prices keep dropping, almost all family owned farms with be shut down and big corporations with huge farms will take over. Despite the number of farms that have gone out of dairying in recent decades, New York is still the third most-productive dairy state.

The Hitman’s Bodyguard: Film Review

By Austen Sarikey

The Hitman’s Bodyguard: Film Review By Austen Sarikey Let me start out by saying that this movie is absolutely hilarious and is not as serious as the name depicts it to be. The main stars are Ryan Reynolds as Michael Bryce who is the bodyguard, Samuel L. Jackson as Darius Kincaid who is the hitman. Other actors who were important in the movie where Elodie Yung as Amelia Roussel who was in a relationship with the bodyguard, and Salma Hayek as Sonia Kincaid who was the wife of the hitman. The movie is about a Triple A ranked bodyguard who failed a mission on protecting one of his biggest jobs which was to protect a big arms dealer who got on a private jet. Right at the last minute the arms dealer got shot which made Michael Bryce get demoted from his triple A ranked status. Later on Roussell was assigned to a mission to move Kincaid from jail to a courtroom where he would be the last hope for defending a country's rights. Kincaid is the only evidence to prove that the dictator was a monster who did awful crimes. So throughout the movie Michael Bryce gets dragged into helping Kincaid who was his enemy for years. The two have been trying to kill each other for years and they added great humor and jokes in the parts where they bickered. They had to work together because it was the only way they were going to get Kincaid to the courtroom and get Michael his rating back. The both of them went through a great adventure of saving one another through shootouts and to intense multi scene fights. At the end they just arrive in time to prove the man guilty, but he had more than one plan and had a different ending than expected. This is a great movie that’s hilarious but intense. It’s a very entertaining film that many recommend, but be advised the movie has very strong language throughout.

Hybrid Technology for Boats (Maritime Transport)

By: Ricardo Herrera

The Electrification of ships is a good ecological technology and companies are investing in it. The article is about the new Hybrid Technology for Ships. This project has a good view on the part of the large companies to have a more ecological standard of living. From my point of view, This Project is really important for us because this helps our nature and everything that surrounds us in our life. The first ship of this type is called Viking Queen, it is a gas carrier that has been equipped with a 650 kWh storage system for its hybrid system. The system is capable of delivering a power of 1600 kW. In this way it will become the first offshore vessel to use a system of these characteristics. In this ship thanks to the energy storage system, the ship will achieve a fuel saving of 18 %. In addition, the emission of polluting gases such as nitrogen oxides and greenhouse gases will be reduced by 25%. You should see the volume and weight of the batteries in the whole boat, but on paper the data is very good. Hybrid and electric systems are also beginning to make inroads into maritime transport. The transport is going towards electrification and none of its different areas wants to be stagnant.

When Anesthesia Fails

By: Chloe Milbrand

Accidental awareness is becoming a popular topic in the medical field, and Donna Penner, a survivor, is at the front of the battle trying to fund research to end this phenomenon. Roughly 21 million people will undergo general anesthesia this year. 1 out of about 16000 will experience some sort of anesthetic failure, about 1400 people in the year. When Donna went to undergo a laparoscopy, a simple procedure that uses probes to find a diagnosis for certain abdominal problems, she was in great spirits. The surgery started perfectly normal, and went under anesthesia easily. She awoke relaxed at first, thinking that the surgery was over, but when she heard the doctor ask for a scalpel, she froze. Her anesthesia had failed before the doctor made the first cut into her abdomen. The paralysis drug did work, so Donna was unable to move to alert the doctors that she could feel everything. She claimed the pain was like no other, and it lasted an hour and a half. When her blood pressure started rising, they took a breathing tube and put it in her airways, giving her only 7 breaths a minute. Donna was not only in unimaginable pain, but also was suffocating. When the surgery was over, Donna knew her diagnosis without the need of a doctor to explain. She had heard him say it in the operating room.

Donna successfully sued the hospital for a miscalculation of the anesthetic dose needed and now is funding a program to monitor a patient’s nerve endings during General Anesthesia to prevent this traumatic experience from happening to people. It is important to note that although 1 out of 16000 general anesthesia patients will experience accidental awareness, more than 85% of the cases will feel no pain, and may not even remember the incident. Also, 60% of these cases will only experience these episodes for 5 minutes or less. Although cases like Donna Penner’s are very rare, they are still a very real concern for surgery patients. Her program is fighting to lower this number through the help of science, and has raised over 3 million dollars towards Accidental Awareness research.

Should School Start Later?

By: Katelynn Steinmetz

Teens on average need at least 9 ¼ hours of sleep per night to properly perform, while they average less than 7. Ensuring the right amount of sleep is essential for brain development, and health; the root of the problem is within teens’ schedules that do not allow for primal sleep hours. With after school activities, jobs, homework, and family demands, sleep is becoming less of an importance, and as a result, students’ bodies wake up for school thinking it’s still the middle of the night. They are less alert, they feel fatigued, causing them to feel less willing to participate during school hours. Sleep deprivation affects one’s ability to cope with stress, retain information, pay attention, and solve problems. Meanwhile, no research has been done to prove that starting classes before 8:00 am is beneficial to children of any age. Changing school hours would be challenging, as politics, the economy, and misunderstanding can override what is best for the students, as well as the community. There is a way though, with collective action nationwide, all public schools could set times that correlate with proper health, safety, equity, and learning. School districts in at least 44 states are improving their start times, while others are still avoiding public conflict.

The main reason why local systems deny change, is because the issue raises misinformed opposition and can cause outbreak in communities; but the evidence is there, and relevant, that later start times increase student ability. More sleep prevents tardiness, as well as dropout rates within schools. Also, it reduces depression, anxiety, fatigue, suicidal thoughts, and delinquency. It improves athletic performance, while decreasing obesity, eating disorders, and even diabetes. Students who experience mood or impulse disorders, have shown a control over them, and the risk of substance abuse drops immensely. Having a later start time could even benefit the economy, starting at least one hour later could result in 17,500 dollars in increased earnings per student.

Simple and Yummy Butter Recipe

By: Tyler Czerniak

Simple Butter Recipe

● Makes about a cup of butter (about two sticks)

● Very easy to make

● Takes about ten minutes

What you’ll need:

● One-quart sized mason jar

● 2 cups of regular cream

● Salt (to taste)

● Cold water

● Cheesecloth/ filter

Directions:

1. Add cream to jar.

2. Shake in a repeated motion for about 5-10 minutes.

3. You'll find the cream is solidifying, strain out the excess liquid with your cheesecloth. (this is your butter milk which is a bi-product)

4. After the liquids taken out of the jar, add your cold water and give it a shake.

5. Strain out all the liquid, and what you have left is your butter.

6. Salt to taste.

7. Now that you’ve Made your butter, Give it a try!

Review:

As you know around this time of the year the roads get slick, and why run to the store if it isn't necessary? If you've run out of butter around these stressful holiday times, this recipe is perfect for you AND gives you the satisfaction of making something yourself!

THE MOST INTERESTING AND UNIQUE FOX IN THE WORLD: THE SILVER FOX

By: Andrew Tessmer

Even though the physical appearance of the Silver Fox is completely different than that of a Red Fox, they are actually the same species. The Silver Fox gets its name due to their fur color which can range from a “bold” silver to completely black. Another trait that makes both species the same is their eye color which is yellow but becomes a golden color as they get older. Adult Silver Foxes can weigh approximately between 11 to 15 pounds. Foxes are a close relative to dogs and wolves. Silver foxes are carnivores and their diet consists of: rodents, rabbits, insects, birds, berries, and other plants which can depend on where they are. When the foxes have more food than they can eat, they will store it somewhere for them to consume later.

In some urban locations, people have claimed that their garbage can have been knocked over due to them rummaging through them. Silver foxes will even eat pet food that has been left outside. They live anywhere from across North America, to Europe, Asia, and even Australia. Even though they are considered a species of "Least Concern", they do suffer from losses of habitat and exploitation that results in both fur farming and the fur trade. This goes into effect for Silver Foxes, whose pelts are highly prized due to their unique coloration.

The Silver Fox is a semi-solitary animal and can be very territorial. However, unlike their other canine relatives, foxes cannot produce barks and howls like dogs and wolves do. Instead, they can produce a wide variety of unique sounds that include a high pitched warning bark, “screams”, and snuffles, though their most distinct noise is a called a “gekker”, that sounds like a chuckle. When winter hits, the foxes have been known to use their tails as a blanket to keep them warm. The females will only breed once a year. Their gestation period lasts a little under 2 months. The number of pups can vary greatly, however, the average is 5 kits per litter. The babies do not open their eyes until at least 2 weeks after being born, and then it will take up to 5 weeks before they leave their dens. The family unit will stay together until autumn. Then when the kits finally reach maturity age which is at approximately 10 months they will then leave to find territory of their own and start their own family. They are truly an interesting and very unique animal!

Wish Lists of 2017

By: Zackary Martin

As the holiday season is coming around the corner, many kids are going to be excited to see what is awaiting them on Christmas day. Over time the things on a child’s Christmas list has gone from plain and simple to more advanced technological things. In today’s times, kids want stuff that is usually electronic and it would be something that you would have to wait in a long line on Black Friday to get. Some of the top toys this year unsurprisingly have to do with technology. One of these top toys is the Sphero Mini. This mini ball is the size of a ping pong ball and you can use your phone to control it to move all around the place. Another tech toy that is coming out this year is The Jurassic Park virtual reality adventure. This toy uses your phone and you are then able to use this headset to look as though you are in Jurassic Park and you have to fight the dinosaurs to escape. While most of the toys that kids want have to do with their phone or mobile device, the Nintendo Switch is one of this year's top sellers. Now I hope that you got at least some good gifts Black Friday shopping, but as there is so much hustle and bustle in shopping, we can sometimes forget about the more important things around Christmas such as appreciating your friends and family and I hope that you have a Merry Christmas and Happy holidays!

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: An Epidemic

By: Natalie Gang

On October 5th, the New York Times published a story that consisted of decades of sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Since then, the now disgraced film mogul is one among many public figures who have been accused of sexual misconduct. In media alone CBS morning host Charlie Rose, “Today” show host Matt Lauer, journalist Mark Halperin of NBC and Michael Oreskes of NPR have been fired or have stepped down amid these accusations.

Decades of sexual harassment accounts have been told in light of these events and the amount of women speaking out clearly shows just how much of a problem it truly is. A survey by Cosmopolitan found that out of 2,235 fulltime and part-time female employees, one in three women have experienced sexual harassment at their workplace at some point in their lives. Out of those women who have experienced sexual harassment, 29 percent reported it, while 71 percent did not.

Sexual harassment is a serious problem for both men and women, though men report their experiences significantly less than women. Sexual harassment is not black and white in any way, as there is not just one way to make unwanted advances. One of the most common would be quid pro quo, in which a superior demand that subordinates tolerate harassment as a condition to get a job, promotions, better benefits, and so on and so forth. For example, your boss demands that you kiss him/her in order to keep your job or more in order for advancement. While other forms of harassment are subtler, such as sexual innuendos, and are often overlooked.

With positions of power and money, a man or woman may feel invincible, and the harassing of their employees is just another way to prove their power over others and their lives. As a woman, you are told to not dress provocatively, to not “provoke” feelings in men. But as more and more women speak out, it is apparent that we are not the ones to be held accountable.

While the firing of those who have been harassers themselves is a promising way to fix things, it is only just beginning. It is merely a Band-Aid over a big, gaping wound that requires stitches. Women and men should not feel like they have to tolerate that behavior, and hopefully there will be change in the workplace environment for the better. It is about time that the perpetrators feel the shame that they inflicted upon their victims. There should be no downplaying of harassment, no turning the other cheek, but instead a glaring spotlight on the issue.

Sexual harassment will not be accepted anymore, women/men will not grin and bear it. They should not be expected to. It is about time that this issue is brought forth to the public, for we can no longer overlook it. We have seen the tip of the iceberg, but everyone knows that what you see on the surface does not represent its entirety.