Emma Watson Proves She Is More Than "Hermione"

By Alissa Grisler

       This past Saturday, Emma Watson gave a powerful speech regarding gender equality at the United Nations headquarters, after just recently (6 months ago) being appointed a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. Her speech was in support of HeForShe, which is a solidarity movement for gender equality which is inclusive of both men and women. In her speech, Watson highlights the importance of equal responsibility of genders for remedying this issue.

In her speech, Watson begins by bringing to light the misconceptions of the word “feminism”, and states that, “Fighting for women’s rights, has too often become synonymous with man-hating.” Watson recognizes the misguided negative connotation of the word by saying, “My recent research has shown me, that feminism has become an unpopular word. Women are choosing not to identify as feminists.” Watson explains the definition of feminism, and questions why the theory of political, social, and economic equality to men, has become such an uncomfortable topic.

The former Harry Potter star roused the crowd by inviting men to be a part of this campaign: “Men, I would like to take this opportunity to extent your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue, too.” The HeForShe movement is aiming to get 1 billion men to vow their dedication to this cause, in order to help recognize that equal rights is not just a woman’s issue, it is a human rights matter.

Watson acknowledges her career as an actress by asking, “You might be thinking, who is this Harry Potter girl and what is she doing speaking at the UN? And it’s a really good question, I’ve been asking myself the same thing.” She goes on to explain why, “Given the chance, I feel it is my responsibility to say something.” 

Watson brings her presentation to an close by asking, “If not me, who? If not now, when?”  

Look below to view Watson’s full speech:

       

‘Ice Bucket’ US Firefighter Dies at 41 After Participating in Charity Craze

Who knew trying to spread awareness and raise money for a disease could kill you.

I’m sure some of you might have heard about the firefighters ALS ice bucket challenge incident last month.

A Kentucky firefighter badly injured when he was shocked by a power line in an ALS ice-bucket challenge accident last month has died.

Capt. Tony Grider, 41, was one of two firefighters seriously hurt on Aug 21^st when the fire truck's fire bucket they were using to help members of the Campbellsville University marching band got too close to a power line. A police chief said the ladder never touched the line, but the line carried such a high voltage that it could shock people close to it.

The other firefighter who was in the fire bucket with Tony, Simon Quinn, 22, also suffered severe injuries but was released from the hospital last week on September 15^th. There were also two others, Capt. Steve Marrs, 37, who has been with the department for 11 years, and Alex Johnson, 28, who has been there three years, but only suffered minor injuries. Thankfully no students were hurt.

Grider has been hospitalized ever since the incident has passed away Saturday noon, September 20^th 2014

The firefighters were trying to help Campbellsville University marching band raise money and awareness for the now very well known ALS disease, but it took a very wrong unexpected turn. Tony had been with the Campbellsville Fire Department for a total of 16 long years.

Many people showed their condolences via all sorts of social media, including twitter.   

It is a hard time for Grider’s family and friends. Especially for his five children and wife, Gena.  Please keep the family in your prayers

By Ream Amir

Are you excited for The Maze Runner?

Most teens are big on movies, so I wanted to know. Are you excited?

The Maze Runner, like most movies, was a book published on October 6^th 2007 written by James Dashner. The movie officially comes out on September 19^th 2014.

The book and the movie are about the adventures of a group of boys who are trapped in an artificial, constantly changing maze, and their efforts to escape. The movie stars Dylan O’Brien as Thomas, Kaya Scodelario as Teresa, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Newt, Will Poutler as Gally, Ki Hong Lee as Minho, and Blake Cooper as Chuck.

 For those of you who don’t know, the maze runner is an action/mystery/sci-fi movie. It is also the first book in a young-adult, post-apocalyptic science fiction trilogy of the same name.

The 113 minute movie is what’s hot these days. With a budget of $30 million, The maze runner is expected to be really big. With the movie coming out on Friday, many people have already gotten their tickets and are already counting down the days. The theater most probably will be very crowded the first few days. Maybe even the few first weeks!

Many people who enjoyed The Maze Runner book, also read and/or watched The Giver, which was also a book written by Lois Lowry, and a movie which came out last month on August 15^th in the US, directed by Phillip Noyce. Some would compare the two. They find them a bit similar in a way.

If you didn’t already plan on seeing the maze runner in theaters, I strongly recommend you go see it. If you have a free day, or if you’re feeling bored, find your way to the local movie theater and buy yourself a ticket. You won’t regret it, I promise!

By Ream Amir

Americas Last POW

Ed Cochrane

   Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl  was finally released from Taliban captivity in June 2012 in exchange for high ranking Taliban prisoners. He has been allowed to return home for the first time since his release. He has been deemed America's Last Prisoner, he has been given this title because he is literally the last American prisoner of war at least that the public is aware about. Bowe Bergdahl enlisted in the US army in 2008 and isolated himself from his fellow soldiers reportedly his close friend Jason Fry mentioned that Bergdahl planned to leave his unit once they deployed if the operation was "Lame" apparently the operation didn't meet Bergdahl's standards because Bergdahl wandered off from the remote outpost in Eastern Afganistan and was captured by insurgents;but it is possible and people speculate that he left his outpost because of trauma from the horror he witnessed on the battlefield or he was suffering from insomnia due to extreme sleep deprivation. His lone wolf mentality, attitude, and behavior almost resulted in a discharge. He managed to escape Taliban captivity in August or September 2011 with his fists, in fact he was such a good fighter that it took 5 insurgents to overwhelm him. He was eventually recaptured but President Obama has had negotiations in the works for several years but it was extremely difficult to give in to the Taliban because it has been an American ideal for years that the United States does not negotiate with terrorist but Obama finally caved in to the Taliban's request and offered to exchange five terrorist for the freedom of one Bowe Bergdahl. There is also controversy over the government keeping the whereabouts and state of Bergdahl classified. Back in Bergdahl's hometown he is not getting a warm welcome from everyone because many veterans and people associated with the military are upset because Bergdahls conduct in the military was very dishonorable.

The New Neanderthal

Neanderthal, according to Miriam-Webster, is a man who is stupid and rude.  Neanderthals are famous for being  hairy, animistic beings.  However, have we been misconceiving the Neanderthal all this time?
Everything you know about the Neanderthal is wrong.
They are not stupid, and in fact, they are on par with the intelligence of modern humans. Nor did this supposed intellectual inferiority lead to their demise. The evidence for such an assumption is baseless and false.
The Neanderthals have been a common staple in the theory of evolution.  Scientists have used the Neanderthal as a stepping stone from chimp to human. However, if the Neanderthal is equal to humans in intellectual capacity, why should we continue to assume that the evolution theory is correct? It is not possible for the chimpanzee to have evolved into a Neanderthal, because the intelligence gap was too wide.  Also, why should we continue to believe that evolution is true, when one of their key arguments has been proved false?

Edward Cochrane
D day 2014

       This week people are celebrating the 70th anniversary of D day one of the most famous military events in history. D day or "Disembarkation" day took place on June 6th 1944  The Allied Forces landed on Omaha beach to invade Normandy, reclaim western Europe, and free France from Nazi rule. Allied forces Invaded Omaha beach through naval and airbourne assault 24,000 allied soldiers participated 9,000 of them were reported dead, Missing, or injured, but their sacrifices were not in vein D day was one of the critical victories for the allies in World War II. Several events will be taking place this week as a tribute to the fallen soldiers. Normandy is hosting many of these events but it has always used D day to increase tourism. In Normandy there will be fireworks, parachuting displays, military camp displays, open air concerts, parades, festivals, reenactments, memorial openings, museum events, battlefield tours, speeches from veterans, veterans and world leaders will be visiting Normandy from Australia, USA, Canada, and Britain, veteran commemorations, on Friday their will be a ceremony celebrating the British 3rd infantry division, there will be an event for the 20,000 civilians that lost their lives to the ally bombings at the Caen memorial, President Obama will meet with the French president Francois Hollande to celebrate the American World War II veterans at Colleville-sur-mere, British veterans will also visit the Bayeux royal British legion shrine.

The NBA Finals Are Here!

By Sreevatsa Gottada
Entertainment Editor

          Last year's NBA finals had dramatic finishes, clutch shots, intense rivalries, and more. This year, we will get a rematch of the two teams who played against each other last year, the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. Who will prevail on top this time? Will LeBron James put his team on top and ascend the NBA history books? Or will Tim Duncan and the veteran Spurs go out with a bang?

          Last year, the finals series was evenly matched at first, the Heat and Spurs were tied at 2-2 albeit the games weren't as evenly matched. The Spurs eventually won game five, and took a 3-2 lead to the series. The Heat were backed up onto a wall, and it was a do-or-die situation. During game six, the Spurs answered on every Heat run, and eventually were up five with about 28 seconds remaining. After LeBron made a three, Kawhi Leonard was fouled as the Heat were trying to gain another possession. He missed a crucial free throw which lead the Heat to be down only three points. With that in mind, LeBron took a three at the other side, and missed. Chris Bosh grabbed the rebound, and passed it to Ray Allen as he was backing up to the three point line. Dozens of Heat fans froze as the shot was in the air, but then went into a frenzy when it went through the hoop. The Heat had forced overtime which they won, and in conclusion, forced a game seven. While the final game went back and forth, the Heat eventually got away with it when LeBron hit crucial jump shots. The Spurs played valiantly, but just could not extinguish the Heat.

          This year's NBA finals are sure to be an amazing one. Be sure to mark your calendars and set your DVRs, because this is a must-see! And since last year's finals went to seven games, this year's finals are sure to be a dogfight up until the player's last breath, as well. Who knows, maybe Danny Green can get got again, and lead the Spurs to a championship? Or, Dwyane Wade being healthy can tip the scale in favor of Miami? All we know is that we'll have to see to find out.