Iphone 5S vs Iphone 5C

Now that Apple has released two new IPhones, people are confused on what the difference is between IPhone 5s and IPhone 5c. Hopefully this will clear some things up.

Pricing:

IPhone 5S:

16GB - $199

32GB - $299

64GB - $399

            IPhone 5C:

                        16GB - $99

                        32GB - $199

Comparison

	IPhone 5S	IPhone 5C	IPhone 5
Dimensions (h*w*d)	4.87in*2.31in*.3in	4.9in*2.33in*.35in	4.87in*2.37in*.3in
Weight	3.95 ounces	4.65 ounces	3.95 ounces
Fingerprint Scanner	Yes	No	No
Colors	1. Silver 2. Space Grey 3. Gold	1. White 2. Pink 3. Yellow 4. Blue 5. Green	1. Black 2. White
Chips	A7(64-bit) M7 motion coprocessor	A6 Chip	A6 Chip

            The IPhone 5C seems to be a cheaper version of the IPhone 5S, making it easier to afford. The IPhone 5C is made more out of plastic than metal, unlike the 5S. Additionally, the IPhone 5S has a finger scanner security system built into its home button. This will make is much harder to for unwanted visitors to hack into your IPhone. Additionally, the IPhone 5C is larger than the 5S, and ways more. The performance of the IPhone 5 seems to be superior to that of the IPhone 5’s. In my opinion, the 5C is just a cheaper, worse quality phone designed to be affordable and available globally. Also, it’s use of plastic instead of metal makes it much cheaper for Apple to make, and Apple will most likely receive a greater profit on it. The decision to create and develop this new IPhone model was a win-win for both the producers and the consumers of Apple products.  All in all, Apple has really stepped up their game with the newest IPhone releases, and I can’t wait until Apple releases the IPad 5 and IPad Mini 2. Predictions for the two include retina display, and the new A7 64-bit chip. Apple continues to impress up with more and more innovative updates.

Review By: Allen F

Tips for Freshmen

Tips for freshmen

Entering High School can be a fright. I have been there, and the first day was an absolute terror, however I survived the first day and many more. The first day of school is over, and so the first week so a round of applause to all freshmen.

 Some tips, I would like to give the freshmen is to be organized. If you have your agenda and your locker is neat, you will never be late to class or forget your homework. A big one is, do not procrastinate!! It can be hard to come home and do your homework, when you can watch TV or go on your computer. However, once you finish your work, you may feel so accomplished and watching TV can be your reward. You definitely don’t want to stay up late to do your work, when you can finish much earlier and also get free time. Use your agenda to help you balance out your clubs, sports, homework, projects and also free time, by writing down your after school schedule. In the school provided agenda, there is a section on the bottom with times after school, which is very useful if you are busy after school. Some clubs include: Red Cross, JSA, FBLA, Viking volunteers and many more. Joining clubs is a great way to interact with old friends and also make new friends. Also, don’t be scared of the upperclassmen, in fact many are very nice and helpful, as you will find out through peer leadership in gym. Each freshman gym class will have a pair of peer leaders who will help you out with school, and just anything in general. To add on, high school can be a huge jump from middle school, but it is definitely a wonderful time. And the last tip is to remember to have fun! 

Arshi Shah

Fault in Our Stars review

The Fault in Our Stars Review

Sixteen-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster has been diagnosed with stage 4 thyroid cancer since she was thirteen, and has only been kept alive by an experimental drug. On her parents’ insistence to keep up a social life, she attends a support group at a local church where she meets Augustus Waters, a former basketball player who lost his leg to cancer. A friendship quickly blossoms, and soon the two find themselves falling in love. The book is a whirlwind of events, from hospital visits to a trip to Holland to meet the author of Hazel’s favorite novel. The book brims with real emotion, and I found myself crying and laughing throughout it.

What I love the most about this book is how it approaches the topic of teens with cancer. The main character is not the cliché perfect, peppy do-gooder who creates her own organization and changes the world. She’s sarcastic, selfless, blunt, intellectual, and accepts her own mortality. However, she isn’t angst-ridden, constantly bearing this aura of decay and disease. She’s complex and completely original.

The Fault in Our Stars is definitely my favorite novel by John Green. It’s refreshingly different from his other books, yet it also contains the same philosophical quotes and musings that the previous ones share. It’s witty and heartbreaking and thought-provoking, funny and poignant and romantic. It’s a tragic love story right from the start, yet it’s irresistible and unforgettable. Normally I don’t enjoy romance novels, but Green does this one flawlessly. He doesn’t over-do the romance for Hazel and Gus. It’s cute without it being mushy.

I recommend this book to teens and adults alike. I was able to read it in a day; it catches your interest and holds it throughout the whole thing, with the ending leaving you wanting more. There’s something to learn and love for everyone in here, and there’s a simple, quiet beauty in it that’s hard to find in other young adult novels. It is highly-acclaimed, named TIME Magazine’s #1 Fiction Book of 2012, Entertainment Weekly’s Best Fiction Book of 2012, and a #1 New York Times Bestseller, to name a few.

If you like The Fault in Our Stars, you might want to check out Green’s other novels: Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, and An Abundance of Katherines, as well as Will Grayson, Will Grayson, which he co-authored with David Levithan. Before I Die by Jenny Downham is also another excellent teen cancer book.

A film adaptation for The Fault in Our Stars is also in production, with Shailene Woodley as Hazel, Ansel Elgort as Augustus, and William Dafoe as Peter van Houten. Both John Green and his son Henry will make cameo appearances.

Review by Kaitlyn San Miguel on September 14, 2013

Divergent Review

Divergent Review

 

Divergent takes place in the Chicago area during an untold time in the future. Everyone is divided into one of five factions: Abnegation (the selfless), Erudite (the intelligent), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Candor (the honest). Every year, all the sixteen-year-olds take an aptitude test to determine which faction they belong in, and shortly after taking the test, they pick their faction and undergo initiation. However, for Beatrice “Tris” Prior, her aptitude test results are inconclusive, thus making her “divergent”, an unusual and dangerous thing to be. She chooses the Dauntless faction, and from there, she must survive the risky initiation process while hiding the fact that she is divergent. Meanwhile, tensions between the Erudite and Abnegation factions increase, hinting at a possibility at a faction-wide war.

 

The recent trend in dystopian teen novels continues, and although I’ve found it to be getting old, I had no qualms against Divergent. It’s been likened to The Hunger Games with its futuristic setting and empowered female protagonist, but it is most definitely not an imitation. Although Veronica Roth is a new author (Divergent being her first novel), she writes with the ease of a seasoned writer.

 

My favorite aspect of the novel would have to be Tris’s character. She’s not a perfect person and has many flaws, but she knows this and understands this. She can be selfish, unruly, stubborn, and overly talkative, but she is also brave and intelligent and understanding. Her character development over the course of Divergent can be seen clearly with each passing page. She’s a complex protagonist, growing and maturing throughout the story.

 

There’s a little bit of everything in Divergent, not overly abundant in any one category. It’s part action, mystery, love story, adventure, science fiction; in short, even if dystopian novels aren’t your favorite genre, there’s something for everyone in it. There are different subplots within the plot, which all converge in the end. Despite it being over 500 pages, it’s a thrill ride of a book, with rarely any dull points. You’ll grow attached to the different characters, and sometimes it will feel like the events in the story are actually happening to you.

 

Divergent is the first book in the Divergent trilogy, followed by Insurgent. The conclusion, Allegiant, will be available October 22, 2013. There are also four short stories told from the perspective of Four, another character in the Divergent series. A movie is also in production, starring Shailene Woodley as Tris, Theo James as Four, and Kate Winslet as Jeanine Matthews. The movie will be released in late March of 2014.

 

Review by Kaitlyn San Miguel on September 6, 2013