Queen Elizabeth ll Celebrates Her 90th Birthday

By Sandalie Gamage

Queen Elizabeth ll celebrated her 90th birthday on April 21. She is the longest reigning monarch in British history. The Queen was born in London in 1926 to King George VI and his wife, Elizabeth. She took the throne in 1952, at the age of 26, after her father passed away from lung cancer.

She is, alongside the title of Queen of England, Queen of Canada, New Zealand, the rest of the United Kingdom, Australia, and head of the Commonwealth. She has had four children, and has many grandchildren and great grandchildren. The next in line to her throne is Prince Charles, the Queen’s son.

A New Twist To Fairytales

By Sandalie Gamage

Cinder takes us into a future world, after the Fourth World War, where everything has a story behind it. Linh Cinder, the main character, lives life as a mechanic with her legal guardian, as her parents had died in a hover crash. However, there's a twist.

Cinder is a cyborg. She is different and people are frightened of them. Her stepmother, Adri, and her step sister Pearl hate her. Her only friend is an android named Iko. But then one person coming to get something fixed changes her life completely.

Read this story about a terrible plague, a ruthless queen, and explore the winding passages of a castle. This new version of Cinderella gives as a look into Linh Cinder's life as a cyborg and finding out that she isn't exactly who she thought she was. This book is the first of four in the Lunar Chronicles series.

Aliens: Are They More Than Just Stories?

By Sandalie Gamage

Aliens have been a controversial topic  for a very long time. There have been supposed sightings and more of odd beings and spaceships here on Earth. People have told the world that they have been abducted and taken onto an U.F.O. Of course, they could just be lying, but there are plenty of other pieces of evidence that prove that there could be life outside of Earth.

There are many theories about aliens and how they got to Earth, or why they came. In 1947, the Roswell Air Force Base told everyone that they found a metallic disc on a nearby ranch. However, soon after that, they changed that statement and said they’d found the remnants of a weather balloon. But before they could do that, many newspapers had written stories about an alien spaceship. People said that the weather balloon story was a cover-up, but there isn’t enough evidence to prove it was.

Another alien related topic is, of course, Area 51. There have been many stories that have been used as explanations for why the government won’t let anyone near Area 51, one of them including aliens. The base is supposed to have underground labs, an alien runway that appears and disappears, and research programs that are trying to reverse alien engineered technology. Two different former Area 51 workers claimed to have had contact and even worked alongside an alien named J-Rod. So Area 51 is known as huge government cover-up about aliens.

There is also a less believable conspiracy theory as well. This one says that almost all major government leaders aren’t what they say they are. People believe that they are actually an ancient reptilian race. A strange piece of evidence for that theory is when, during an interview, George Bush Senior’s eye flicked to the side and made a clicking noise. Of course, that could just been a coincidence that reptiles do that as well.

Though all these theories have many people that believe them, there is no solid evidence for them. As much as people want to believe them, they can’t technically be proved true. As of now, we are the only ones in a universe that is much bigger than we think. Of course, there may be life out there that we don’t know of. Our solar system alone hasn’t been entire explored, so what about all the other potential solar systems out there that could be more advanced than ours. They could know about us and be sending “people” to see Earth. But that is nothing more than a theory until proved otherwise.

The Beginning of the End

By Sandalie Gamage

Lights. Really bright lights. That’s all she saw. She fluttered her eyes open and sat up. The room she was in was dark, though she could’ve sworn there were blinding lights in every corner. She rubbed her eyes. Everything was hazy and she couldn’t remember how she got here.

She looked around the room, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. There was no light in the room except the dim glow from the lamp. She ran her hands up and down the walls, trying to find a way out. Nothing. She was stuck.

She ran her hands through her hair. Suddenly, something struck her. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened with horror. Who...who was she?

She racked her mind, trying to remember her name. Her family. Anything. But it was blank. A long moment of nothing before appearing in this room. What had happened? One minute she was somewhere, and now she was nowhere.

Footsteps. Then voices. Hushed whispers, so quiet she could have missed them if she breathed too loud.

“She’s in there,” one voice said.

“They’ve been preparing for her arrival for days,” a second voice replied.

Then a lock clicked. A door appeared in the solid wall before her and she stepped back. The light flooding from the room temporarily blinding her. She put her hand over her eyes.

“Awake? At last, we’ve been expecting you,” a gruff, yet somehow comforting, voice said.

She moved her hand off her face and looked up. A man stood before her, he looked like any other person on the street, yet there was something about him that didn’t seem right. She took another step back.

“It’s alright. They’re always scared when they get here,” he smiled and gestured for her to follow him.

A sudden thought dawned on her. Bright lights. Loss of memory. The way the man looked. She gasped, the blood draining from her face. “This...this is the end, isn’t it?”

The man chuckled. “Oh no. No, no, no. This, my dear, is only the beginning.”

Tragic Earthquake Shakes Ecuador

By Sandalie Gamage

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Ecuador this Saturday was one of their worst tragedies according to the state. More than 440 people were killed in the quake and at least 4,000 were injured.

The last earthquake that hit that hard was in 1987, and that was a 7.2, so less than

this one. Many people from neighboring countries have poured into Ecuador to help aid them in the search for more people and to help those that were injured.

As of now, the search will continue. This earthquake has shook Ecuador, but they are rising out of the rubble.  

Hundreds of Immigrants Killed in Shipwreck

By Sandalie Gamage

A shipwreck that happened in the Mediterranean left as many as 500 people dead. The wreck was one of the worst immigrant involved tragedies, which is following many recent tragic events happening all over the world.

Out of the many people on the boat, there were only 41 survivors- 37 men, 3 women, and a little 3 year old kid. The boat was driven by smugglers who tried to transfer the passengers onto an already crowded boat. As the transfers was happening, the larger boat capsized and it sank.  

The people that had not boarded the boat yet and some who had managed to to swim back to the boat survived. They drifted out at sea for as many as three days before rescuers came to help them.

The survivors were taken to a local stadium to wait while local authorities questioned them about the whole incident.  

The World's Beloved Prince Passes Away

By Sandalie Gamage

On Thursday, Prince was found dead in Paisley Park. He had been unwell a few days before that, but he had performed that very day and even had concerts this month. His death came as a shock to many people.

The police are trying to find out the cause for his death and an autopsy is scheduled for today. His friends said that he looked extremely tired a few days before he was found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park.

The world lost a legend yesterday. He was famous for going out bare chested almost constantly and his sexuality. Prince will be missed and forever remembered.

Taylor Swift Taking a Break

By Sandalie Gamage

Superstar Taylor Swift is taking a break after 10 years of making music for her albums. Her latest album 1989 walked away leaving many fans in awe and many awards and nominations. Swift also did a tour for her album, which was a success and won an award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards too.

The 1989 era ended officially after the release of the New Romantics music video. Swift recently told reporters that she was taking some time off for herself. She told Vogue this, “Honestly, I never relax, and I’m excited about being able to relax for the first time in ten years.” In that time, she wants to be CPR certified, learn how to change a tire, and do the splits. She also hinted at wanting to create an affordable clothing line.

The break she is taking is well deserved, and though Swifties will be dying with the wait time, who knows? She’s always full of surprises, what with the albums and hairstyles. For now, she’s spending some time alone.

Groom Crashes Ferrari on Wedding Day

Humberto Reyes-Reid

A groom in the U.K. rented a Ferrari for his wedding day. “The car, which sells for a whopping $345,000, has a top speed of 210 mph and boasts a 0-to-60 acceleration in just three seconds”(TRIBUNE MEDIA WIRE). The groom got caught up in the heat of the moment and smashed into his friend's house.

His wife was riding shotgun during the crash, but luckily they came out unharmed. The one thing that was harmed was the groom's bank account, since he was charged for the damage.

Kobe Bryant Finishes Career With Stunning Victory

By Brett Wilson

Kobe Bryant entered the NBA as a 17 year old out of Lower Merion High School. He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers where he won 5 championships. This season marks his 20th season in the NBA and with the Lakers. Bryant announced his retirement by saying, “This season is all I have left to give. My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind. But my body knows it’s time to say goodby.”

On April 13th, 2016 Kobe Bryant played his last NBA game. With their opponents being the Utah Jazz, the Lakers mission would be to give Kobe a proper send off. Bryant finished the game with 60 points leading the Lakers in a 101-96 victory over the Jazz in the Kobe Bryant finale. Lakers fans will forever remember the night of 4-13-16.