Category: journalism

Stuff having to do with the world of journalism.

Virus Found

moderatesnotfoundLeave a comment

In the 21st century, digital security has been one of the weakest points in countries and companies worldwide. Digital security has been emphasized during this Presidential race, with Hillary Clinton’s emails being leaked. But just how far can the U.S. implement digital security? The answer is bleak, with billions of devices connected to the Internet constantly, and with little to no security being applied to the majority of these DVRs and routers. This mass of technology with no security has been the worry of many computer experts.

 
These worries were fulfilled on October 21st, when a massive attack brought down a large company that monitors and routes Internet traffic called Dyn. With the fall of Dyn came the fall of Netflix, Twitter, and Etsy as well, for a few hours.

 
This attack was coordinated by using thousands of hijacked devices that spewed millions of nonsensical, invalid messages on the servers overloading them. This attack is known as DDoSing. These attacks will only become more often and voracious with a new software that’s becoming global.

Photo Credit: welivsecurity.com

(Here are the regions of the U.S. most heavily impacted.)

A botnet-creating software called Mirai was used to create this massive attack. Mirai first infects the home computer through emails, and from there spreads throughout all devices connected to the router, and these viruses remain in the hijacked devices. Even if the virus is deleted from your computer, there may still be dormant viruses across the house, waiting for a command.

Now, major websites have crashed, and there seems to be very little stopping this new charge of infection and DDoSing. Major companies have already recalled some devices that have minimum security, but there still remains many more devices defenseless. The rush to keep up with technology and stay ahead of viruses and attacks will be the largest struggle this coming century. This may just be the start of more problems demanding new solutions.

Shattered State

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Syria has been the centerpiece of an ISIS invasion, revolution, Russian aggression, and Western Concerns. With Aleppo as the prime example of what has befallen of Syria, entire populations have disappeared.

Photo Credit: Independent.co.uk

Sections where thousands walked daily are now ghost towns, filled with rebels, daily Russian bombings, and the desperate ones who don’t want to leave their homes. The country once filled with tourism and stability has taken a sudden turn into total chaos, chaos originating from an Arab Spring pro-democracy protest opposing the torture of a group of students in 2011.

Following the mass demonstration, dozens of people were killed, between protesters and the aggressive police, prompting protesters to gain weapons to defend themselves, then eventually rid government forces altogether in cities.

Five years later and millions have run from the country, with the majority landing in Turkey and surrounding Islamic Nations. A small percentage migrated into Europe, prompting anti-Islamic protests within such Nations.

Russia takes lead in defending Syria’s failing government with aggressive bombardment on civilians and rebels alike. The UN has stopped sending aid to civilians due to attacks on their convoys, and the U.S. arms Democratic Revolutionaries throughout Syria while the Islamic State advances. This Nation has fallen apart, and now third parties stroke the flames instead of leaving the situation alone between the revolutionaries and the government.

So where does it end?

So far, there is no ending from a diplomatic viewpoint; the Geneva talks have only been another platform over which the U.S. and Russia disagree. There’s no clear sign over the future of the Nation, or whose hands it will fall into. Whether it’s Western powers, Russia, or radicals, the nation and it’s structure will remain shattered for year to come.

Further Proof That Beyoncé is a Higher Being

paris22Leave a comment
Photo Credit: Pitchfork

On Saturday, October 15, Beyoncé was performing at her Tidal concert, when her braid got caught on her one of her earrings, and the earring RIPPED OUT OF HER EARLOBE.

Photo Credit: US Weekly

Queen Bey didn’t miss a beat in her dance routine however, and kept performing. Later in the performance, Beyoncé touched her earlobe, saw blood on her fingers, and kept singing in a way so holy you might think you just saw God. Now that’s a real performer.

Either Beyoncé is some sort of higher being, or she has superhuman pain tolerance… Or else everyone’s right and she really is a part of the Illuminati (jokes).

After the concert, fans started the hashtags #CutforBeyoncé and #BleedforBeyonce, which are pretty much just a bunch images featuring cuts and injuries. Do not look it up, I made that mistake.

This concert pretty much just proved, once again, the immense power that is Beyoncé.

Celebrity Designers

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Yeezy Season 3 Fashion Show in Madison Square Garden — Photo Credit: NY Times

Kanye. Rihanna. Gigi.

Celebrities entering the high fashion arena is becoming a common occurrence. Kanye West’s collaboration with Adidas, Yeezy, has released multiple seasons, each season selling out faster than the last. Rihanna’s collection for Puma, FENTY, just showcased its second season. Model Gigi Hadid also did a capsule collection for Tommy Hilfiger.

But these aren’t like the typical celebrity brands being sold in shopping malls, targeted at the masses. Kanye, Rihanna, and Gigi’s collaborations are all being marketed as high fashion. All three of these shows were showcased during fashion week. Kanye’s controversial  Yeezy Season 4 was held in Roosevelt Island, garnering countless celebs and fashion’s elite. Gigi’s show, held during NY Fashion Week as well, was a spectacle to say the least. The show, a full-blown carnival theme, had A-list celebrities sitting front, fashion’s top models walking, and a huge social media presence. Rihanna’s show, however, was held during Paris Fashion Week.

These celebrity’s personal styles are influencing these collections, considering many designers couldn’t get away with a collection that looked like it was chewed up by a pack of wolves before it debuted on the runway, besides Kanye West. These celebrities are also transforming these brands such as Adidas, Puma, and Tommy Hilfiger into not just popular brands, but high fashion brands. Do I agree with this, or the fact that celebrities are now becoming “high fashion” designers? Not very much, but it doesn’t matter, people are still going to buy a $800 ripped up sweatshirt from Adidas, because it was “made” by Kanye West.

Model Gigi Hadid Criticized for Physically Defending Herself

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Photo Courtesy: etonline.com

While leaving the Max Mara fashion in Milan this week, fashion model Gigi Hadid was attacked by Vitalii Sediuk, a well-known prankster. He came up behind Hadid, grabbed her, and lifted her off the ground. Hadid immediately fought back, elbowing him and trying to get out of Vitalii’s grasp. After this incident occurred, headlines appeared criticizing Hadid’s reaction to the attack. While I never read any of the articles criticizing Hadid for defending herself from an attacker, I did see the controversy on Twitter and it was insane. Many tabloids claimed Hadid lashed out a fan and that her behavior was inappropriate.

Later that night, there were articles about how Hadid flashed her breasts during a fashion show, hours after lashing out at a fan. One headline from The Sun actually read, “NOT MODEL BEHAVIOR, Gigi Hadid aggressively lashes out and ELBOWS fan in the FACE after he tries to pick her up.” Hadid did not lash out at a fan, she defended herself from an attacker. Before these tabloids were criticized for their backwards reaction to the situation, none of the tabloids criticized Vitalii for assaulting Hadid, in fact most didn’t even claim he was in the wrong.

Vitalii is not a fan, he is a man who is known for harassing celebrities. Hadid is not the first celebrity he has attacked, as he seems under the impression he is allowed to grab and violate whomever he likes. Sediuk apparently attacked Hadid because he believes Hadid has no place in the fashion world, and hoped this stunt would encourage companies and magazines to use models with “true talent”. Hadid had every right to defend herself, and Vitalii had no right to grab her and violate her space.

Last. Blog. Ever.

mushuooLeave a comment

Tonight, I am writing my last blog for the Ojai Valley School Journalism class.

I have has such an incredible experience here at OVS, and a part of that was being involved in this class.

Being given the opportunity to express my opinion on whatever I feel like has been amazing. Blogging has been an amazing outlet for me and writing articles has allowed me to strengthen my writing skills in a fun manner.

I would like to thank Mr. Alvarez for his incredible support for the past two years, academically and personally. He is truly one of my favorite humans in the entire world, and he is someone I would do nearly anything for.

This time is bittersweet. Leaving high school, and the journalism program, will be upsetting; but I am growing up and moving on, and that is a beautiful thing in itself.

I cannot wait to share my experiences in college with my family, friends, and former teachers. I wish everyone at OVS the best, even Harley.

I will be forever thankful for my time here at OVS.

*@KENNYROO NO PICTURE

Poems for Thought

mariethearistocatLeave a comment

Almost every time I see my sister she says the same thing.

“You really should start journaling.”

And to this very day, I have resisted. I have chosen to not follow my sister’s advice, something I usually regret later on. Instead, I have developed ways to kind of journal. My newest favorite being a quote book.

I thought of making it when the storage filled up on my phone due to the massive collections of screenshots of quotes I’ve found on Instagram. So, naturally, I used a notebook my sister got for me. 

Since then I’ve been writing down quotes on what seems to be a daily basis. However I feel, I’ll pick a quote matching it. If a quote resonates with me, I’ll write it down.

The most special thing is I can write some of my own poetry or incorporate my ideas into other poems. Each page has a different layout, design, and meaning.

So, in a way, my sister’s dream has come true. I write almost everyday, but not exactly the way she likes it.

 

Finals

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Photo Credit: theodysseyonline.com

English. Math. Language. History. Science.

These are just the core subjects on which students are preparing to be tested on for the last time this year. But for some students, the list goes past these 5. Or they might be taking the AP classes of them, and are preparing for the AP tests kicking off on Monday. Our teachers, parents, elders, siblings, etc. reiterate the same “comforting” words of wisdom: don’t worry.

How are we not supposed to worry when some of these tests affect up to 50% of our grade? How are we not supposed to worry if we  end up getting poor grades and are punished for it. Or the fact that colleges and universities will be looking at these grades and our GPA’s, two things that are heavily affected by these finals.

They tell us not to worry, not to stress, get plenty of sleep, and relax during finals week but when it comes down to it most of the people telling students these things will be disappointed when we don’t reach their expectations.

And the stress keeps piling up as we move up the ranks in high school. During finals, 10th graders wish to have it as easy as 9th graders, 11th graders feel this way about 10th graders, and I’m guessing 12th graders just want to leave high school.

 

A Tragic Story of Prom and Permits: Part 2

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Image credit: apromtoremember

Bethany jumped out of her car, tripping on her prom dress, and ran along the road right next to the riverbed towards the fallen deer. The deer didn’t make it. Bethany fell to her knees, and started to cry. Her wailing disabled her from hearing the foot steps behind her. But, she did feel the baseball bat against her skull.

The assailant happened to be a drunk, peace-loving hippie who thought she killed the deer, and wanted to stop her. When the hippie realized Bethany was trying to save the deer, he panicked and threw Bethany and the deer into the empty, rocky riverbed next to the road to cover up his mistake.

While Bethany was unconscious lying in the empty river bed, Ben was waiting for Bethany at the prom site. He assumed he stood her up, even though they weren’t going together.

Bethany woke up hours later, confused. Her car was gone. She called Ben, as she knew he would always answer. He didn’t this time. And they never talked again.

A Tragic Story of Prom and Permits: Part 1

paris22Leave a comment

Photo Credit: balticassist

Bethany Yoddle, a highschool junior, just got her license right in time for prom. Bethany is an aspiring model/actress/tv show cooking competition judge/daytime talkshow host/reality tv show star. Bethany isn’t going to prom with anyone, but she just assumes they can’t handle her charismatic, multi-talented persona. But, little does she know, her best friend since 4th grade, Ben, is in love with her. Bethany and Ben have gone from swing sets to driving licenses, now they are 16 and she still has no idea.

7 pm hits, and Bethany climbs into her car to make her way to prom. Bethany’s drive to the prom site is a long one, as it’s outside of the city, but luckily she has all her favorite music to listen to on her way there.

Bethany hits the more rural part of her drive, and unfortunately, a deer ran across the road right as Bethany was singing loudly ( and ear-bleedingly bad) to her favorite song. Bethany saw the deer and she slammed the brakes, but just a second too late, and her front bumper collided with the deer.

To Be Continued