The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, more commonly abbreviated as ISIS, is an Islamic militant group that has taken control of parts of Syria and Iraq. Most recently known for the attacks on Paris in France and in San Bernardino, California, ISIS has gained incredible strength over the past couple years. The United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, several Arab nations, and the Kurds are all against ISIS and have come together to fight ISIS. With all of these military superpowers fighting ISIS, a valid question is why hasn’t this group been destroyed yet? The main reason is because ISIS is a very smart organization. They are the best-funded terrorist organization in history, they communicate mostly on untraceable sources, and they are continually growing in size. All of these qualities make ISIS difficult to eliminate. However, with continued efforts, it is hoped and expected that ISIS will eventually be destroyed.
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The presidential race is in full swing, and the election will be here before some of our seniors can even register to vote. Although, most high school students prefer not to involve themselves with politics, it never hurts to educate yourself on the main candidates at least. Whether you cannot wait for Obama to leave officer, or wish his term was never ending, he will be leaving soon, so it is time to find out about our potential future presidents of the United States of America. The current front runner in the polls Donald Trump. Donald has made some comments that have brought him negative media attention, yet his supporters see this as proof that Mr. Trump cannot be bought our or persuaded and will speak his mind regardless of what people will think. Trump supporters also argue that he would be the most proficient economic leader this country has ever had because of his success as a business man, and his renowned world presence has given him a dose of the obvious media requirements of having the title of The President of The United States. All in all, being the economic tycoon that he is puts him in a great position to push a country into new leagues of commerce and monetary ranks. Donald Trump may be getting all of the attention, but there are many other Republicans running as well. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, and Jeb Bush are some of the other front-runners in the Republican Party.
The Democratic Party is quite the battle between two very differently viewed individuals; Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Hillary, who is currently waving a small lead above Bernie, has been wrapped up in an email scandal for using her personal email while she was Secretary of State, and she has also been accused of fibbing and pitching populist motives for her own benefit in the race. Despite the criticism, Mrs. Clinton retains many supporters for her support towards individual rights and how she does not let her personal opinions cloud her views on the freedom of the people. On the other hand, Sanders has been accused of using very similar strategies, but he is the main proprietor of the free-college movement and legalization of marijuana which swings his popularity among the 18-28 age group heavily. Voting is a huge responsibility for it really can shape the future. Before going out to vote make sure you register and that you understand that every vote counts. The Primary Elections will be held on March 15th and that is when each party will d3ecide which candidate will represent their party, so make sure to come out and vote for that, as well as the General Election held in November Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, After School, Yik Yak: when people think of these social media sites they probably think of staying connected with other people, but that is not all social media is used for. Over the last few years, social media has gotten better known and is used by people of many different age groups. These social media cause many different problems for people, especially teenagers. One of the most recent problems that teenagers are facing today is an app called After School. This app is designed strictly for high school students and not many parents know about it. Parents are not allowed to get on the app because the app makes you verify through Facebook that you are in high school. When someone first downloads this app, you have to select which school you go to, verify through Facebook, and then you’re allowed to post whatever you want. There are both pros and cons to this app. This app was originally designed for high school students to be able to post their crushes, confessions, and worries without anyone knowing who they are. The cons are that some people take advantage of not getting caught for their actions. While this app started off as people complimenting each other, as more people started to use the app, the compliments turned to insults and bullying. A 17-year old student from Michigan threatened on this app to bring a gun and practice shooting on his classmates. He plead guilty and was sentenced to 90 days in jail. Some students are calling their classmates hurtful names, threating people, and telling their fellow students to “go kill themselves”. They are also taunting people and accusing them of being gay and posting vulgar remarks about people. The creators of this app estimated there to be about 2 million to 10 million high school students using this app. Another app many teenagers are using today is Facebook. About 68% of teens in America have a Facebook account. Facebook was created for long lost friends to stay connected to each other but teens have taken it to an extreme level through cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is easier to do than bullying because you are not face to face with the person you are insulting. Cyberbullying has gotten so out of hand that people have had to be medicated or have decided to take their own lives. Social media will continue to advance as technology advances. Parents, schools, and schools administration need to continue to be aware of what is happening on these sites.
Since the last edition of The Town Crier, there have been two major news stories: more information on the Paris Attacks and the attack in San Bernardino. First, we now have much more information on the Paris Attacks. We now know that there were 130 people killed in the attack, with 368 more injured. The mastermind of the terrorist act, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was killed in an apartment raid by police. Countries around the world stand with France with a common enemy: ISIS. Social media also stood with Paris with the famous hashtag: #StandwithParis.
As for the San Bernardino attacks, they were done by an Extremist Islamic couple. The couple, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, may or may not be linked to ISIS, but ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the attack. 14 people were killed and 21 more were wounded. Christmas time is near! I can speak for a lot of people when I say Christmas is their favorite time of the year. There are many great activities to do during Christmas time here in Peoria, including some new ones. The Festival of Lights is always a great thing to do during this holiday season. It’s held at Fondulac Park in East Peoria and it’s always a great time and I recommend it to everyone. Another great activity to do this Holiday is check out the new ice skating rink down by the Civic Center. I went there within the first few days it opened and it is definitely a pleasant time! This is not all there is to do this holiday season, but these are for sure some fun ones.
The Holiday season is upon us, which means it is the busiest shopping season of the year. Although Black Friday and Cyber Monday have already passed us, there are still many deals to be had on Christmas gifts and other festive items, so let this stand as your guide to some of the most popular gifts for this holiday season.
When you think of gifts, most likely the first gifts that come to mind are toys, and if you have a little cousin or maybe a little brother or sister, maybe toys are what you will be looking at. With Star Wars: The Force Awakens coming to theaters in two days, Star Wars toys are bound to be the most popular toys this season. The BB-8 app-enabled droid from Sphero, although priced at $150, has already been flying off the shelves since its release several months ago, so this will undoubtedly be one of the most popular toys this year. Also, Minions items are very popular this year. The Minions movie was a hit with kids, so there are many toys of those little yellow guys to pick up, one of which is the Minion Kevin Banana Eating Action Figure, and priced at only $33, this is a much more reasonably priced toy. Even with the Star Wars and Minion toys available, some of the classics are still popular, like Legos and Nerf Guns. After buying the toys for the little brothers and sisters, it’s now time to think of Mom and Dad and other important adults in your life. For Mom and Grandma, if they are into makeup and beauty products, check out the Birchbox subscription box. At only $10 a month, it is a steal, and it comes filled with different beauty products and samples evey month. On the more expensive side, Fitbits and other fitness trackers are popular this year. One of the most popular is the Fitbit Charge at only $150. Lastly, maybe Grandma has finally decided to ditch the flip phone, but doesn’t know what to get. If so, pick her up a iPhone 6s in rose pink and she’ll be sure to love it, and at only $199 on contract, its not a bad deal at all. For Dad and Grandpa, you could always get the tie and tools, but maybe this year surprise them with something more. If Dad is a bit more on the tech side, try getting him a nice hone case. You can pick up a solid wood phone case for right around $60, or you could make him a custom phone case with your picture on shutterfly.com for only $20. Or, maybe they are not into tech. You could get him a nice watch or a new cologne. Now that your younger relatives and the older relatives are covered, now you’re looking at gifts for your family right around your age, and nothing sound better for them than some tech gifts. No surprise, the PS4 and the Xbox One are some of the most popular gifts, but there is also smaller gifts. Bluetooth speakers are relatively cheap, with many good ones only $50, or you could get a really nice pair of headphones at the same price. The season of giving can be very stressful at times, but that can also be what makes it the most fun. As you are out shopping this season, make sure to look around and find the best deals this year. Happy Holidays and happy shopping from all of us at The Town Crier! As we continue toward Election Day 2016, we are seeing major changes in the Presidential Race. For example, we now only have three candidates for vying for the Democratic spot: Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, and Bernie Sanders. As far as the Republicans go, there are still thirteen candidates in the race: Jeb Bush, Dr. Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, George Pataki, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum, and Donald Trump. In the polls, Donald Trump leads by a landslide for the Republicans, while Hillary Clinton is leading for Democrats. The race still has almost eleven months left, and there are still many candidates in the race, so it should be exciting to see who our 45th President will be!
“Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts” –Janice Maeditere. Around this time of year, the opportunities to help others are everywhere. Many churches have opportunities for volunteering, such as at soup kitchens, Christmas parties, and donation centers around the area. Our school has been collecting cans this past week to give to the less fortunate. Our Key Club has been selling candy grams during lunch, to donate the money towards spastic paralysis. The Grand Prairie mall will be having charities wrap gifts for FREE, and donations are allowed. Ask your friends, people at church, or other students at your school for more ways to help give this holiday season.
Christmas is officially in 31 days!! At any moment you’ll begin to see Christmas lights, wreaths, and trees filling homes and the streets of Peoria Heights. But, do you really know where all of the Christmas traditions came from? Although mostly all of us celebrate Christmas, not everyone knows the true meaning of Christmas! Christmas is actually the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Centuries before his birth, other religions celebrated the winter solstice, which people believe is the other reasoning Christmas Day was chosen to be on the 25th of December. Other traditions, such as Christmas trees and decorations have a historic background also.
The Christmas tree can be traced all the way back to Egyptian times. Trees that stayed green throughout the year had a special meaning to people. Egyptians cherished and worshipped evergreen trees. During winter, they would bring the trees into their homes to symbolize life’s triumphs over death. Many other cultures have participated in similar traditions. The first Christmas ornaments were in Germany. They used apples and other fruits as a reminder that life would return again in the spring. As the tradition spread, different cultures took on variations of it. The Christmas wreath is also a German tradition. In December, they would gather wreaths of evergreens. They did this as a sign of hope for the coming spring. As for decorations, it was recorded that in London it was the custom at Christmas for every house and all the parish churches to be "decked with holm, ivy, bays, and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green". The heart-shaped leaves of ivy were said to symbolize the coming to earth of Jesus, while holly was seen as protection against pagans and witches, its thorns and red berries held to represent the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus at the crucifixion and the blood he shed. The traditional colors of Christmas decorations are red, green, and gold. Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which was shed in his crucifixion, while green symbolizes eternal life, and in particular the evergreen tree, which does not lose its leaves in the winter, and gold is the first color associated with Christmas, as one of the three gifts of the Magi, symbolizing royalty. On Friday, November 13th tragedy struck Paris, France. Three teams of terrorists planned attacks at six different locations. Some of these locations included a concert hall, two restaurants, and Stade de France, which is a stadium. At least 129 people were killed and 352 injured, including 99 who are in critical condition. ISIS released an official statement saying that they were responsible for these attacks. There were seven terrorists all together, and only a few have been identified. The Bataclean Concert Hall, where the Eagles of Death Metal were playing, was were at least 89 people died. The attackers arrived at the hall and opened fire. They took audience members hostage and lined them all up on stage. The police entered the venue causing two attackers to kill themselves by detonating suicide belts. Four people were killed outside Stade de France, three suicide bombers and an innocent man walking by. France was playing Germany in a soccer game at the time the three bombs went off. France’s President was attending the game and was immediately evacuated after the attacks. The attackers attacked quite a few restaurants, cafes, and bars. After all of these attacks happened France went on lockdown. They closed all the borders and had points of security. France has carried air strikes on Raqqa, Syria early Monday. Targets included a command center, recruitment center, ammunition storage base, and a training camp. There has been no information on casualties yet. Monuments lit up around the world that night to show their support to Paris, France. We share your grief at this time of mourning. Our sincere condolences to everyone in Paris and those affected by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with Paris during this time. #PrayForParis
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