United States government intercepting AP's information

Though it seemed unethical, the government acted upon the Patriot Act. Patriot Acts stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 and the United States government clearly intercepted some information thus had reasoning to do what they did. They want to make the public feel safe, and that's what they were trying to do. The Associated Press should fully cooperate with the government in my opinion.

End of an Era?

            It could be an end of an era for the Boston Celtics. What could have been a dynasty, oh what could have been a dynasty? Friday, May 3^rd could have marked the last day legends Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were on the wood together. Suffering an 80-88 defeat at home, the Celtics fell to the New York Knicks 4-2 in this 6 game series. They’re far too old to continue it seems, and even if they wanted to continue, would the Celtics pay them tens of millions to have them on their team? The team always seemed so optimistic of themselves, but they never stayed consistent during crunch time sadly. Losing superstar point-guard Rajon Rondo mid-season and having a very old and ailing roster was a recipe for disaster.

            The Celtics and their veterans are seeking different paths now. Kevin Garnett is surely ailing and has never been his same since the 2009-2010 knee injury that surely took a toll. Paul Pierce is losing his consistency and the C’s just can’t rely on their veterans to give them the W. The Celtics need a solid franchise player that they can build a team around. Rajon Rondo? Probably not, though critics agree that the Celtics are better without Rondo, that’s 100% false because they play a completely different ball game without him on. Rondo needs to go folks, as sad as it is the Celtics can’t build a team around him. Should they (The Celtics) keep him, I have no problem whatsoever as I believe he’s the craftiest and best player to watch, they would have a phenomenal roster next year including Rondo (who claims he’ll be back by pre-season), Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, Brandon Bass, and Avery Bradley. Surely different, but things have to change.

                                                           

            People could ask what to do with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett if they don’t retire. There’s a lot to do with them. They’re not worth scraps and that’s for sure. Having these two halls of famers on your team with a solid starting five could essentially make any team a solid contender. They’re been through thick and thin and they know what they’re doing. They’re great trade assets if you ask me. There was speculation in mid-February of a possible Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for the Los Angeles Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe, DeAndre Jordan, draft picks and Caron Butler. They’re not worth nothing, and that’s for sure. I hope the Celtics utilize them very efficiently shall they not retire as Celtics. Whatever team they land at, they’ll surely be two of my all-time favorites. 

                On Patriots’ Day, just like every other Patriots’ Day in the state of Massachusetts, runners had set out a 26.2 mile race, it was the Boston Marathon. This marathon won’t be remembered for its winners however, but what occurred nearly four hours into the marathon. Monday, April 15^th, two explosions went off on Boylston Street, the site of the finish line for the marathon runners. The first explosion went off nearly at the finish line and then another bomb went off around twelve seconds later down the street. Bombs that were set off by Tamerlan and Dzokhar Tsarnaev killed three innocent people then a fourth in a shooting at MIT, and injured scores. The bombs contained ball bearings, nails, clips, and other metal pieces. These bombs were aimed to injure it seemed, and it certainly did that. The Tsarnaev brothers caused a lot of devastation throughout the city of Boston, but the morale was still at a high. The city of Boston was closed for a whole entire day. Though it was costly ($330 Million), they found the younger brother, Dzokhar alive.

                Reluctantly, the people of Boston are now living their lives normally again. Though the city had been scarred, the city, the home of patriotism stayed strong. Fundraisers are being put in to allow the victims who had been severely injured not be in any debt when they are released. Eye witnesses are being accounted to complete this puzzle. The criminal Dzokhar committed will surely be given justice. Reports of Dzokhar could possibly face the death penalty. Though very controversial, it should honestly be decided by the victims, the people who truly suffered from these explosions to decide whether he lives out the rest of his life (and he’s only nineteen years old), or give him the easy way out and kill him.

                This event will surely be remembered in Boston for a long time, but though lives were lost, this event will be remembered for the patriots that risked their lives for seconds after the explosion to aid those in need. Those people will truly be remembered for their patriotism.

                The Page Assignment:

                                Though the Boston Marathon terrorist attack did not directly affect me, it made me feel very vulnerable. It happened to one of the most prestigious events in Boston and three and then eventually a fourth lost their lives to these individual terrorists. It’s sad to see an act like this happen to such a serene city.

                -Christos Nikolos, Norton High School

Interview Assignment

           High School Student finds treasure from the nineteenth century


     Allison Alioto, a soon to be high school graduate of Norton High was shoveling one day in her backyard for a science class and found something that isn't that common, a chest full of treasure from the nineteenth century. There are bills and coins dating back to 1862. When interviewing Allison, she stated that she would keep the loot to herself. Though it sounds greedy, it's most likely what everyone else would do. The interview continued with asking Alioto what she would do with the money and she replied with "I'd buy several dogs from shelters, a beach house in South Carolina, pay for my college funds, buy season tickets, and put the rest in my bank." Sounds like a great way to spend money found in the backyard. Though found a couple days ago, she is more than excited and will certainly refuse to give any of it to the government. "I found it so it's mine, not the government's". When asked if known that this treasure was from a wanted bandit, she replied "That's exciting, but scary especially if this gets national attention because I don't want to share!".

Capital Punishment

      Capital punishment is a very controversial subject today. Many argue that if a person commits a murder that they should pay the price and the murderer should be put to death. Capital punishment is nothing new as it has been used for hundreds of years and though it is now banned in countries around the worlds, there are still a multitude of countries around the world that allow capital punishment. The question is, should people be put to death for a murder?

       People believe that capital punishment should be allowed because if one committed a murder, should they not be killed? A murderer should not have the right to walk or live by any means because whatever they did to someone, they should receive the same punishment. People throughout the world will certainly agree on a "fair" punishment. What goes around comes around. Some people may have a motive behind the killing(s), but it should never result in a death of someone. Whether they are dangerous or innocent, they should not be killed by the public as it could result in the murderer's life.

      Those who are not believing capital punishment should result in death have their sides too. Those believe that capital punishment should not result in death because those murderers could live with what they have done with the rest of their lives. Those who do believe that not killing the murderer after their crime so they can be psychologically and mentally punished, which could really be a true punishment.


      Though it can be argued either way, the capital punishment will be remaining in the United States for the moment. It may be revised in several years, but for now it will remain a controversial subject to all. My personal thoughts is that they should be put to death because it should not be allowed for one to essentially walk again with a murder.

Religion is something that defines most of us. It shows our morals and personalities, but most importantly it shows our way of life. I myself am Greek Orthodox and take pride in it. This religion isn't like most religions, since Easter is on the way for most of us, we always decide to give something up for 40 days which we call lent. However, the Greek Orthodox can't choose what to give up, but rather we become vegans for forty days. Our Easters are usually on different dates too. I am proud to call myself a Greek Orthodox for our outgoing ways.

Studying abroad in high school

Not all of us have family living outside the United States. For many of us, travelling outside the United States could be rare and surely expensive. However, many schools offer a study abroad program. They will spend a semester at a country of their choice and surely learn an abundant amount while in this country. Kids should have the oppportunity to study abraod because it opens a door that many can't have.

Studying abroad sounds amazing first off. Living in a completely different country, with different culturals ways sounds like an amazing experience. The scenery is different, too. One wouldn't see all highways and giant retail stores while going to their school. They could see the countryside, something that many American teens will never be able to see. The opportunity is there and any high school student that has an opportunity should easily take it.

Financially, you will "lose" money at first because you'll have to live with a different family and they have to house and feed you. The travelling fares will surely put a hole in your pocket. However, this isn't the case for most people because there are a multitude of scholarships awaiting an exchanged student! Varying from what country you go to, you could easily make back what was spent and more! The temptation should easily be growing for someone who has barely gone outside of the United States.

It's all there. One would gain experience of what another country would be like and the scholarships. It's something that all high school students should have an opportunity to because it could give them ideas of what they would want to do with their life, whether it would continue to live in the United States and travel abraod and live there.