Jets coach trips a Miami Dolphins

The NFL plans to launch an investigation into New York Jets assistant coach Sal Alosi's tripping of the Miami Dolphin's Nolan Carroll from the sidelines during a 10-6 loss. A spokesman from the NFL, Greg Aiello, told ESPN, that the league is reviewing the incident, and that The Jets had already begun an investigation into Alosi's behavior, and that there was potential for discipline. On Sunday, Alosi made a public apology to Carroll, for his misconduct.

By Myah Tolbert

1 out 5 High school students admit to being abused

A recent study done by Emily F. Rothman, an associate professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, stated that 1 out of every 5 High School students have admitted to being in an abusive relationship. That same 1 in 5 also admitted that they were more likely to in turn abuse other students and even family members."There's a huge overall connection between perpetration of dating violence and the perpetration of other forms of youth violence," Rothman said. The study, which was published in the December issue of the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, surveyed 1,398 urban high school students at 22 schools throughout Boston. The survey asked if they had physically hurt a girlfriend or boyfriend, sibling or peer within the previous month. More than forty-one percent said they'd physically hurt another kid on at least one occasion and 19% said they'd abused their boyfriend, girlfriend, someone they were dating or someone they were simply having sex with.

For more information go to:
http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/sex-relationships/dating/2010-12-13-teen-violence_N.htm
By: Myah Tolbert

Tragic Storm in Indiana

There has been a lot of early snow storms in certain states but none of them compare to the snowstorm in Laporte, Indiana that hit this morning. According to Yahoo News, commuters have been stuck in traffic all day due to snow covered highways and strong winds. There was nearly 100 vetches stuck in traffic and 15 deaths occured due to this unexpected storm. There is so much snow that it is being stretched out to parts of New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. This is a helpful warning sign to let us know whats in store for us this winter.
BY: Jelissa Ortega

Miley Cyrus' 18th bday celebration

The popular teen sensation Miley Cyrus was celebreating her 18th birthday last month. five days after her actual birthday Miley Cyrus was hanging out with some friends at her LA home. However they were not just hanging out and listening to music they were smoking out of a salvia out of a bong. This is not what people would expect Miley Cyrus to do in the celebration of her birthday. Many were saying that she was smoking marijuana or other illegal drugs. But all thos rumors were not true she was smoking salvia which is a natural herb that causes hallucinations. This herb is legal in the state of California so technically she was not doing anything wrong. This video was not broadcasted because she wanted to, TMZ reports that someone stole the camera or copied the video from her friend's camera. This just goes to show that people are willing to do anything in order to ruin a celeberity's reputation....no matter how old you are.

Books Vandalized at Harvard

By: Jerilynn Sweet
Hate crime, bullying,harassement, these are all words that are now commenly used in newsreports. The reson they have gained so much popularity is due to the rise in bullying and harrasment of gay men and women and those who have yet to "come out of the closet." Now people are taking it one step further and destryoing the written word. Approximetly 40 books, costing several thousand dollars, were destryed at the lamont Library on the Harved University campus. A member of security stated in a written report that "it appeared someone poured urine on the books on Nov. 24. An empty bottle was found nearby." All of the book topics were about gay, lesbian, and same-sex marriage issues and with the destruction of this valued property hate crimes in the U.S. are becomming even more evident.

SantaLand Diaries

This weekend I saw "The SantaLand Diaries" by David Sedaris, starring Mount Saint Mary's own, Assistant Professor of Theatre, James Phillips. The story is true, based off of Sedaris's job working as Crumpet the Elf at Macy's. It is a very adult play that hilariously tells of the peculiar people that come to see Santa at Christmas time. He begins by telling the audience of how he is a 32 year old man that's life has lost such meaning and worth that he has resulted in taking the position. He describes all of the different Elf positions that Macy's has strategically placed throughout the store to handle the masses. This show was racist, provacative and politically-incorrect. However, it was done in such a brilliant way that the dry humor and hysterical situations overshadowed it completely.

by Sarah Fulton

Inmates Use Contraband Cellphones to Protest

By: Katie McCollum
In a New York Times article published on December 12, 2010, "Inmates in Georgia Prisons Use Contraband Phones to Coordinate Protest", Sarah Wheaton describes how in at least seven Georgia prisons, inmates have used contraband cellphones to organize a nonviolent strike this weekend. They demanded better living conditions and to compensated for work done in the prison. They said that they would not perform chores previously done, work for the Corrections Department’s industrial arm or shop at prison commissaries until their checklist of demands are addressed properly. They also wanted things like better food, more opportunities for education, and changes to sentencing rules. Groups and gangs that were known to originally not exactly cooperate, joined together last Thursday to get the job done. Cellphones are becoming an immediate scare to officers in that criminals could use them to connect to the outside world and/or accomplices to help them escape or plan hits. The action of taking their cigarettes away recently has had a major cause in starting this protest. It was said that "10 percent of all inmates had phones." Several facilities went under a lockdown, according to local news reports, and officers are considering it now a riot. The Department of Corrections has not publicly acknowledged the protest. Conferences are being developed on the outside of those working with inmates or family members of inmates to try and help meet demands.

Women's Health Report 2010

The latest "health report card" on women's health was recently released. The report revealed that more women are drinking heavily, and fewer are being tested for cervical cancer. New York Times journalist Roni Caryn Rabin reported that "Over all, more women are obese, diabetic and hypertensive than just a few years ago, and more are testing positive for chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease linked to infertility." Rabin also included that "78 percent of women ages 18 to 64 had a pap smear in the last three years, down from 84.8 percent in 2007." Although the number of people screened for high cholesterol has improved along with the fact that less women are smoking and dying from stroke, obesity is on the rise, and will continue to be on the rise if something isn't done. Why is this happening? Probably because in such a time of societal and economic strife, people, namely women, are looking for some source of comfort in their chaotic lives. I believe that if people are taught portion control and stick by Aristotle's idea of "Everything in Moderation," then the binge drinking, diabetes and hopefully the diagnoses of chlamydia will go down significantly.

For more information:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/health/research/09women.html?_r=1&ref=health

By Sarah Fulton

Boy shot in hunting accident

In the Times Herald Record an article "Boy shot in hunting accident," by Heather Yakin is about a 9 year old boy that was shot in the stomach while helping drive deer to a hunter. The boy was airlifted to the hospital and is in serious condition. Yakin stated "The accident occurred one day before the close of deer season; the season had, before Saturday, been free of shooting accidents since it began on November 20th, according to DEC officials." The hunter who is from Pennsylvania was charged with a felony of first degree reckless endangerment and several violations. According to Yakin, "...the shooter was was being held in Orange County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail or $75,000 bond."

By Gina Hughes

Wal-Mart Tries Again for New York City Store

In a New York Times article "Wal-Mart Tries Again for New York City Store," by Elizabeth Harris talks about how they are trying to get a Wal-Mart in New York City. Wal-Mart seems to be everywhere, except in New York City. Harris says "Wal-Mart, an inescapable part of the retail landscape just about everywhere except in New York City, twice retreated on efforts to open stores in the city after fierce community opposition." This is not going to be an easy task for them to find public support for opening up a Wal-Mart in New York City. "According to Harris, "The renewed push by Wal-Mart comes five years after the retailer tried to open stores in Queens and Staten Island but faced furious opposition from community leaders and elected officials." One of the positives that would come out of putting a Wal-Mart in New York City is that it would help bring jobs to the area. Which would be a huge help since there are so many people out of work. Harris states, "Wal-Mart is the country’s largest private employer, with 1.4 million workers, but it has been a constant target for labor groups who say its wages are too low and its benefits insufficient." One of the biggest downfalls of having a Wal-Mart in New York City would be that it would put alot of small business out of business. So while it may bring jobs to the area it may also put more people out of business and cause them to be unemployed. Will we see a Wal-Mart go up in New York City, who knows. There are alot of people that are against this, especially the community. What will happen, we will have to wait and see.

by Gina Hughes

Unemployment By Zach Ciraolo

A huge epidemic now a days in the United States is that of Unemployment! Numbers raising up to an area not seen since the depression, double digits. People go out and compete for jobs it is the way this country has worked since the beginning. But when there are no jobs to compete for, then what happens? Recession that is what happens! It almost is inevitable in this type of situation our economy and we as a whole are going through. Yet, there are advantages to unemployment but they are towered over by disadvantages. And as well, unemployment is sometimes more then other taken advantage you. Think about it; why go out and get a job when you can sit home, go out, have all the free time in the world and get paid for it? None the less now due to the signing of new legislation for an extra 13 months added on to 91 weeks which is what it was at prior to the new law! Though at the same time it takes tolls on peoples lives, sends many into stages of depressions, and just makes people feel According to Leigha butler the rug was pulled out from beneath my feet. It can happen within a blink of an eye, so as they always say, prepare yourself for the worse. Especially since the 2.6 million people out of work did not, we must all learn from either our own lessons but as well from others.

RIP Elizabeth Edwards

On Tuesday, Elizabeth Edwards, the former wife of former Senator John Edwards, entered into rest after suffering from terminal breast cancer. She was 61 years old. Mrs. Edwards life was both admirable and tragic. At the age of 16, her son Wade was killed in a car accident. When she was 55, she was diagnosed with cancer after being so wrapped up with John's campaigns that she didn't get a mammography done, even after feeling a lump in her breast. Elizabeth had been a successful lawyer, but also gave that up to become her husband's closest political advisor, ("Behind every great man, there's a great woman.") Recently, the National Enquirer revealed that John had been having an affair with Rielle Hunter, who worked on his campaign. Hunter also went on to have his baby. John Edwards, "insisted that the affair had occurred when his wife’s cancer was in remission and that it was over before he announced his presidential campaign on Dec. 28, 2006 (McFadden)." Elizabeth has become an idol for many women, and I hope men, for her intelligence at political advising, running a family, and putting up an unforgettable battle against something much greater than her. I hope that out of this, women will realize that they can't let life overwhelm them to such a point where they forget to take care of themselves. I hope that she is in a better place sitting beside her son, Wade.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/us/08edwards.html?pagewanted=2&ref=health

By Sarah Fulton

Four Loko For Sale in NYS

By: Jerilynn Sweet
Four Loko had to be pulled from shelves across the country no later than December 13th, but the creater of the caffinated drink is redoing the recipe for the release of the new Four Loko. Rapheal Brion from eater.com quoted online that "Phusion will instead begin selling only non-caffeinated versions of its products." The effects of the drink will remain approximetly the same though the percent of caffeine will be less than before as that was the controversial ingrediant. Phusion claims "we have repeatedly contended - and still believe, as do many people throughout the country - that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe. If it were unsafe, popular drinks like rum and colas or Irish coffees that have been consumed safely and responsibly for years would face the same scrutiny that our products have recently faced." With the amount of media that Four Loko was received over the past few months the "new and improved" version is bound to be just as popular as the original.

New Obesity Pill, Truth or Hoax? By Zach Ciraolo

Obesity pills here, get your Obesity pills while their hot; or at least still on the market! There has been a lot of trouble recently with Obesity pills in the past which in result the pills were taken off the market but now there is a new hype for the pill Contrave! According to Singer "Contrave, the drug under review this week, is a combination of two existing generic drugs: buproprion, also known as the brand-name anti-depressant Wellbutrin, and naltrexone, an opioid antagonist prescribed for drug addiction". But Contrave has resulted in people losing weight which is the main purpose of the pill but it does fit the criteria set up in 2007 by the F.D.A "that a new anti-obesity drug should demonstrate at least a 5 percent difference in typical weight loss between treated and placebo groups one year after treatment, and that the difference should be statistically significant, reviewers wrote. Reviewers also noted concerns about higher blood pressure, a possible side-effect of buproprion, in the treated group, particularly among patients with type 2 diabetes" So just like every medicine their is a good and a bad no way around it. So much time, and money put into these medicines that turn out to be flukes or hoaxes? What is the time spent doing research for if the medicine is just going to be taken off the shelves within a year or two? So as always BUYERS BEWARE!

Exorcism Today by Sarah Fulton

Our Prayers have been answered: Now you too can have an Exorcism performed on you! Roman Catholic Bishops and Priests have created a "mens only" club to plot against women and all others deemed as "possessed." Closed to the media, over 100 priests and bishops gathered for a conference that will teach them how to properly perform the religious rite after receiving over 400 inquires this year. It is interesting that with the state of our nation, and the amount of ridicule the Catholic Church has faced...forever, that this peculiar assembly was funded. Exorcism dates back to the beginning of Christianity itself, and along with its method and ideas, should never have gotten past the 1st Century. In every film containing exorcism, a young girl is always deemed as "damned." It began in 1973 in, you guessed it, "The Exorcist." It depicts its main female character as a rebel. She becomes open about sexuality and is reluctant to obey any authority figure or conform to any form of religion or law (Johnson). The theme of specifically obeying male authority runs rampant throughout the film. Every other movie made on Exorcism portrays almost this exact same thing. My overall question to the creators of this conference is WHY? Why are we concerned with bronze-age traditions that have no relevant meaning to our lives? Has the feminist movement meant nothing?

"The Human Hunter"

By: Katie McCollum
In a surprising article today in the New York Times by Kirk Johnson, "In the Wild, a Big Threat to Rangers: Humans, it tells the story of how the hunter, the human, is the one to be threatened by; with two recent shootings of wildlife officers, one dead and the other seriously wounded. The one who was killed was in Pennsylvania while confronting an illegal hunter, the second man in Utah at a traffic stop. This has only emphasized what rangers and wildlife managers say is "an increasingly unavoidable fact." With each person confronted in the woods areas, they will, if not definitely, most likely have a gun. Under a law enacted by Congress in 2009, guns became legal in many National Parks this year. It can be imagined by many that a lot of the time it is lonely searching through these large distances alone, and many say it is all about "gut instinct," knowing when to run away. In response to the danger put on rangers and wildlife employees, there has been new equipment and training, along with the addition of tasers in some parks since 2007. What is scary, really, is in mist of the Utah case, the gunman still has not been caught, and these acts are situations that rangers have to come across everyday; checking licenses and maintaining the parks.

Flood in Columbia

Due to the drastic flood that occured in the the suburbs of Columbia on Sunday, 23 bodies were found today and 11 of them being children. According to AOL news 9 of the children were found at the park which goes to show that this flood was defenitaly unexpected. However these children should have had parent or guardians watching them in case of emergencies like this. Families watched their homes be destroyed with their own eyes, and some were buried alive as rocks crumbled down to the ground leaving their country covered in debris. This years rains are the heaviest they have ever been in 42 years.Hopefully Colmbia comes together as a country and groe from this tragic experience.

The Beginning of the end

The Harry Potter series has done it again, landing the number one spot with a gross of 49.1 million. The Harry potter film series is among the highest grossing franchise of all time, with 1.71 billion, coming in second to Star Wars with 1.92 billion. At the rate that The Harry Potter film series is going, it could easily surpass Star Wars when the last and final movie is released this summer. The Deathly Hallows, part 1, The Beginning of the end, Starts in a rather unfamiliar place, far away from Hogwarts, and very close to the evil that is Lord Voldemort. Follow Harry and his friends in the first of the last and final part of the series. Will good conquer evil, or will evil prevail? To find out stay tuned for the second part which is coming to a theater near you July 2011.

By Myah Tolbert

Wal-Mart heads to Court

On Monday, The Supreme court agreed to hear the largest employment discrimination appeal in the nation’s history. The case is being brought against Wal-Mart Stores, citing that their had been accounts of discriminated against hundreds of thousands of women in the areas of salary and promotion. The lawsuit seeks restitution that could amount to billions of dollars. The case is being brought before the supreme court because the issue is whether or not the claims brought on by the individual employees can be combined as a class action law suit. The court’s decision on this issue will ultimately affect all sorts of class-action suits in the future, which is why this case is one of great interest to many Americans. The supreme courts decision could set precedent for later cases in which the american public can pursue large corporations in legal proceedings. Wal-Mart,has issued a statement, stating that the plaintiffs, who worked in 3,400 stores in 170 job classifications, could not possibly have enough in common to make class-action treatment appropriate." As of yet, there has been no ruling on the plaintiffs’ claims, or the ground rules for how those claims will be heard .
For more information on this story, please visit

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/business/07bizcourt.html?_r=1&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB
By Myah Tolbert

Wikileaks creator uses blackmail to save himself

By: Jerilynn Sweet
Julian Assange, creator of WikiLeaks is among the most sought after people by the United States Government. His name has hit the limelight for releasing classified government materials. Now with the threat of arrest looming over his head he has issued a blackmailing statement to the U.S. Government. Mr.Assange has released that if he should be arrested by any government official either national or international, since hes currently believed to be in London, he will release documents of an even higher security clearance than what he has previousely released. His claim is that he still holds the passwords to files about illegal Afgan airstrikes, U.S. Gov't bank statements, Guantanamo Bay, and several other classified materials. His promise is to keep all of this information plus many other things he knows to himself as long as he is left alone. Not only is he blackmailing the governement to leave him alone he has also begun using e-mails from diffrent countries that are untraceable so that he can still have access to the webpage that has casued him so much trouble. He has also created bank accounts in diffrent countries to sustain himself financially no matter where he may run to or hide in. It seems to me that for someone so sure of himself and his information the fear of God has been put into him and he may now realize why the U.S. Governement uses the words confidential, classified, and top security.

Road to the Superbowl!

On a chilly Sunday evening, the Giants finally showed signs of life with their 31-7 victory over division rivals the Washington Redskins. The G-Men have been in a little bit of a slump recently trying top find ways to dig themselves out of the hole they made. By their two running backs, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw tearing it up on the field combining for two hundred yards and a pair of touchdowns for each! The Giants knew what they had to get done, and did it with authority. But as always there are excuses from fans, coaches and etc. Thankfully this time not from the Giants, who now at 8-4 are tied at the top of the division right there with those Philadelphia Eagles. “this is December,” as Giants Coach Tom Coughlin said. A very important month to put your head down and run full force all the way to the playoffs! If Bradshaw and jacobs are able to stay healthy along with that new and re-vamped offensive line then it shouldnt be a problem whatsoever. Four more games to go, the deciding factors whether or not the Giants get that chance to hold the Lombardi trophy high up in regards to success!

Meat Goes Pricey

By Alissa Coschigano

The idea of the holidays is to give rather than to receive, spread cheer wherever possible and be thankful for all that we have. Why then, is it that the day after Thanksgiving, a scam was presented of door-to-door robbery of money. Two men in Hopewell Junction solicited a 91 year old woman by selling frozen meat out of their refridgerated truck. What was originally a $35 sale, was billed to her as a $600 sale. The salesmen gave her a brochure but no receipt for her purchase. Lt. Kevin Keefe of the East Fishkill police states "during the holiday season, credit card use is at its highest and overcharges or frauds can be easily overlooked or not discovered for weeks." To avoid these incidents, the Poughkeepsie Journal gives these tips:

• Get everything in writing. If you are interested in purchasing from a door-to-door salesperson, first get the price, warranty and all conditions on paper.

• Ask for proper identification before listening to a sales pitch.

• Be careful about letting a salesperson into your home. (Local police have said this can be a tactic used by criminals to case a location for a potential burglary.)


Send in the holiday spirit!

Discriminatory Behavior in Schools

By Alissa Coschigano

In a recent study shown by medical journal Pediatrics done on over 15, 000 middle and high school teens shows that gay teens receive harsher punishments in schools, court systems, and everyday lives. “Gay, lesbian and bisexual kids are being punished by police, courts and by school officials, and it’s not because they’re misbehaving more,’’ said Kathyrn Himmelstein, the study’s lead author.She noticed a disproportionate number of gay and lesbian teens in juvenile court, after working in a juvenile justice system. The study asked teens about nonviolent participation acts like alcohol use, lying to parents, shoplifting and vandalism, along with more serious crimes like using a weapon, burglary or selling drugs. Teens who identified themselves as lesbian or gay or who experienced feelings of same-sex attraction were less likely to engage in violence than their peers. However, they were far more likely to be expelled from school, stopped by police, arrested or convicted of a crime. Ms. Himmelstein said "instead of protecting gay teens from bullying and abuse by their peers, authority figures may actually be contributing to their victimization." Schools need to start looking more into situations instead of basing it off of a preference.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/gay-teens-face-harsher-punishments/?hp

No Snacks Allowed by Sarah Fulton

The recently passed "Child Nutrition Bill" was pushed into action by Michelle Obama to "combat obesity and hunger (Pear)." How is one to combat hunger when this bill will take away money from food stamps- and make the already hungry even more so? The government has also kindly changed 'food stamps' to the "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Pear)." I think that having such control over what people are eating sounds a bit like Socialism to me. Obama allegedly did say that he would find other places to allocate money for the program before cutting food stamps. I find it interesting that there is no concrete evidence that cutting back in fatty foods or sodas will result in less obesity among children. If the child eats a healthy lunch at school and then immediately runs home to sit in front of the t.v. with chips, ice cream and soda, what good does it do? I am not advocating obesity, but I think that taking away things that children look forward to having causes them to lack comfort, resulting in overall unhappiness and craving the treats. I think that instead of cutting the foods completely, teachers, motivational speakers, whoever should teach children portion control and a healthy diet, but not restrict them from the foods completely.

In need of a transplant? I hope you dont live in Arizona!

By: Jerilynn Sweet
The state of Arizona recently passed a finance cut to save the state approximently $4.5 million dollars annually, the cuts however were made againt state paid for organ trasnplants. Those mainly effected by this decisioin will be patients in need of a liver from Hep C, lung transplants, pancrease and some bone marrow transplants. The state eliminated paying for many of these perticular operations based on past success rates of previous patients. The problem here is while the state is trying to save money they are also playing God in a sence that they as politicians are deciding who has a chance to live and who does not. All transplants are diffrent and just because some people may have dies or had complications from a transplant that does not mean another patient will. Dr. Andrew M. Yeager, a University of Arizona professor who is director of the Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program at the Arizona Cancer Center stated “I appreciate the need for budget restraints,but when one looks at a potentially lifesaving treatment, admittedly expensive, and we have data to support efficacy, cuts like this are shortsighted and sad.” The states solution to this issue it to simply remind patients that they can try to raise to money for their transplants which range in average of up over $200,000. Due to the reaction that Arizona is getting from its citizens the state is considering holding a debate to reconsider the financial cuts, but that is only a possibility at the moment while the deaths of many people that used to be on transplant lists is almost a deffinet.

College President: Politician or Educator?

At such a time when our economy is in a rut and college students are doing everything and anything to pay for their education, we are given stats on 448 private institutions and the ones who make all the decisions, college and university presidents (administrators). The Chronicle of Higher Education compiled compensation figures from the Internal Revenue Service's Form 990, which is filed by most major nonprofit entities. According to The Chronicle, Bernard Lander, founder and president of Touro College is at the very top of the earnings list. For the 2008-09 school year, he earned a massive $4,786,830, including $4.2 million in retroactive pay and retirement benefits. Many may think that this position as a college president is all about education, but it is revealed that it definitely contains a high political aspect; with responsibilities including activities like fund-raising and establishing and maintaining connections with local government. Thus, there are less people qualified for this particular profession.

Thoughts of more Taxation!?

Intricate and in depth debates being done by the Reduction Commission of the Obama administration try and get a final and binding vote to the new spending cuts and TAX INCREASES! But no need to get frantic just yet, Obama is having a large amount of difficulty getting the Republicans and even some of his fellow Democrats to come into agreeance with his idea. To extend the Bush-era tax cuts is the big question. But this decision becomes critical because if they decide to do away with Former President Bush tax cuts, this will be a huge test on how well both sides can work together to form a new political order. According to one Democratic senator who did not want to be identified,“Now it is all about what Democrats can get,” in regards to talking about the prospect of the White House and Congressional Democrats conceding on extending the tax cuts for affluent Americans. This clash over taxes and government spending are defining the early stages of the post-election maneuvering in Washington and seem likely to remain in the forefront as the 2012 presidential campaign heats up next year!

Black Friday Success!

By Alisa Coschigano

This year's Black Friday was a major success in the Poughkeepsie Galleria. A large majority of stores either met their goal or came close to doing so. There were no deaths this year, as reported last year at a Wal-Mart in Long Island when a woman got trampled from the Black Friday mad dash for sales. Everything ran smooth and customers got their Christmas spirits rolling with deals and promotion that put a little extra money in their pockets for more spending. In the Galleria Mall, customers started lining up Thanksgiving night for the early bird deals offered at Best Buy. When arriving to the mall at 3:30 am, a line was stretched from Best Buy, all the way to the opposite side of the mall to Macy's Department store. At Pacific Sunwear, in the first half hour of opening, $1200 dollars was made. Journey's had shoes flying from left and right, where the Store Manager Danny came out and said "this is madness! It might be my favorite day ever!" The food court saw their biggest crowd of the year, where every stomach was empty as well as their pockets. Every security guard was on duty along with multiple cops watching every corner. With that being said, break out the wrapping paper, save those paychecks and let the Yuletide begin! Happy Shopping!

In Loving Memory

By Alissa Coschigano

Young sixth grade student Amanda Jones, of Van Wyck Junior High School has passed away at the agee of 11 and entered another realm where beauty is more then we could have ever imagined. Amanda was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2007 and passed away on Sunday at Westchester Medical Center. She was treated with Chemo therapy for more then three years, and her mother, Erin Jones, says "she did it with the best attitude of anyone in the world." Throughout the years of Amanda's battle, her friends and family had different support systems organized to help her. According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, they had bone marrow, blood drive and fundraisers to help in any way possible. Amanda has recieved a cord blood transfer in October (Jones, Debbie). Jones attended Fishkill Elementary School here and there, prior to entering junior high, but could not be a part of everything. She participated in the moving up day ceremony via Skype, thanks to her principal Andrew McNally. He states "from now on whenever I hear the word 'courage,' I'm going to think of her." . Our prayers go out to her family and friends. God Bless.