Nothing's Better than Friendship and Loyalty (Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes)

     By Janey Pham
     Staff Writer  






            The award winning Chris Crutcher presents his Young Adult novel, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. This book takes friendship to a whole new level by showing the abnormal relationship between an overweight boy, and a scarred face girl. I found myself reading this book for hours, and I just couldn't keep myself away from it. The story itself was very touching and realistic. The main characters, Eric Calhoune, the overweight jock, and Sarah Byrnes, the tough scarred face girl, have been friends ever since grade school. I wouldn't exactly say they've been with each other from thick and thin, but I can definitely say they’re close enough to be called best friends. The first point of view in this book really puts you in a position where you feel like you're the one experiencing the melodrama that's happening here. All the action in this book is described so well, it's like watching a movie, except without all the moving pictures. Eric and Sarah were both outcasts; in fact, her scars and his fat made them the perfect match. Eric was always by Sarah's side no matter what, even if she is sometimes a little tough on him.

            Sarah had a terrible life. She never complained to anybody about her problems. Her abusive father, Virgil Byrnes, was a mentally unstable man. He was very violent towards his family and anybody else who tries to interfere with them.  As time went by, there sat down a girl with her head down low in a mental ward of Sacred Heart Hospital. Every day, she sat at the same spot without a word coming out of her mouth. Eric had to figure out what was wrong with her, and even tried to find some people she knew to try to find out what might have happened to her. She had only one "friend", besides Eric, and that was the school bully, Dale Thornton. Sarah and Dale didn't start off on good terms the first time they met. He was the school bully and even tried to pick on Sarah, the smartest and toughest person Eric knew. Though, she didn't give up without a fight. He started to constantly beat her but eventually gave up. When they were in high school, Eric and Sarah wrote a newspaper called, Crispy Pork Rinds. It was basically a newspaper bashing on the people they didn't like. They did eventually write about Dale Thornton, but he had to find out sooner or later who wrote the paper about him. The newspaper didn't tell who wrote about these specific people, because if they were, they probably wouldn't even be alive till now. As time went by, they eventually collaborated with Dale, which was what brought them all together. Dale asked what happened to her face and the same answer she always gave out was, "I was burned from a boiling pot of spaghetti". To Dale that was a straight up lie. He saw the way her father looked. He had an abusive father like her too, which gave him the idea that those scars weren't from a boiling pot of spaghetti. He eventually told Eric about what might have happened to her face leaving him wondering of what might have actually happened. Eric didn't give up and eventually got Sarah to tell him what happened. She eventually told him the truth, which was what got her to start talking again. Actually she never stopped talking in the first place. There was nothing wrong with her, she told Eric she needed time to think and to keep away from her dad as far as possible because, her dad became crazy like he was back then when he drove his mother out of the house. She told Eric the truth, and only Eric. Sarah never trusted anybody, because everybody will betray one way or another. She needed help to find a way to get her dad as far away as possible. The secret that she was hiding the whole time was that scars weren't from a boiling pot of spaghetti, it was from her dad. The night that her parents were arguing, he started to beat her and everything eventually all came down to Sarah being in a hospital. She finally woke up and asked where her mother was. There was given no straight answer. She never knew what happened to her mother till later...

           I totally recommend anybody to read this book. For one thing, I haven't even got to the details yet. There's so much more to this story and even the life of other characters too. In this blog I'm only talking about Sarah Byrnes's cruel life. Get the chance to check out this amazing book and be sure to check out Chris Crutcher's other work too!      

Iphone 6 vs. Iphone 5 vs. Android

By Phiney Wong

Staff Writer 

        What's the difference between Iphone 6 or Iphone 5?

     The Iphone 6 is scheduled to launch in many countries on September 19, 2014 along side the display. Apples plan on making both models in other countries. People think that Iphone 6 is just the same as the version of Iphone 5. The Iphone 6 is much bigger that version 5. The first review of the phone was "thin and slim". Which one is better? Basically, the Iphone 5 was the first phone with a metal and glass design  that included the Apples new battery life. Earlier this month, Apple released two brand new Iphones the 6 and 6 plus. It's just like the Iphone before, but it upgrades a massive design, display, and features. Apple made the screen bigger, like Android phones. 

     Is it worth it to buy one? If you want a longer battery life then you will like the Iphone 6 plus because it has battery life of up to 24 hours. Alternately, if you don't like it and you're short on your budget then you shouldn't buy it, because it only has updated the design of the phones not the features, so it's not a big deal for you if you don't want to switch for the new one. Therefore, if you're willing to spend more money on your phone, then the question is how is it different from an Android phones?, recently many people have been asking if which one is much better?

     This is the answer, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is smaller than the new Iphone 6. The Galaxy S5 is made out of metal and aluminum on both sides, while the Iphone 6 has it on the back and sides. They're also different because Android runs on Kitkat. Whereas the Iphone 6 runs on ios 8. When it comes to camera, the S5 is much better than Iphone 6 because the shutter for the S5 is much faster than Iphone 6 and it doesn't get lagged, but when the things is moving Iphone 6 is much better. Iphone users think that it will be easily bent because it's thinner  and has the same processor as the old one. The fact that Iphone is very user friendly and android phones are more complicated. Many people prefer Iphone for their personal use on a daily basis, and Android for their work because it has more features that you might need. Therefore, if you like exploring new things and electronics I prefer Android, but if your new to gadgets and don't know anything yet, I would recommend Iphone. Anyone can use a phone whether they're young or old, as long they know what they're doing.

Private School or Public School? Which One?

By Catherine Le

Private school and public school, which is better for students?

I have been going to a private school from kindergarten until high school.  Now I'm a public school student at Falls Church High School.  As I experience a whole different school, I see the several similarities differences between public and private school.

Communities judge each other. Public school students judge private school student because they are seen as rich or snobby students, but they really aren’t. Also, private school students judge public school students because they think they have disciplinary issues. Their dress codes are different, private school wear uniforms and public school were anything that is appropriate. Also, private schools incorporates religion into their studies.

In order to learn more about this topic, I have interviewed four of my friends about this. Three of them went to public and private schools and one went to private school for her whole school life. Here are their statements:

“When I used to go to public school it was heavily populated and I felt a little lost because I only knew a few people and really could not relate to them because of religion differences, rudeness, and some kids were extremely misbehaved. A lot of private school students are really misbehaved as well but I figured that there aren’t as many. However, I find that the teachers in public schools do have really good teaching skills compared to the ones at the Catholic schools I have attended. I used to enjoy not having to wear a uniform but after a while I actually like it a lot. Having a uniform means that no one else can judge you by the way you dress, and it really does make you realize that you are not any more special than your neighbors.”

 

-Kaci Jose (Now goes to Bishop O’Connell High School)

http://www.bishopoconnell.org/page.cfm?p=428

“Public school feels more alone. Private School feels like you have someone to catch you when you fall. Private School Has more responsibility because you have to not only worry about your grades but also keeping the traditions of school and keeping the faith.”

-Ava Coffin (Now goes to Bishop O’Connell High School)

“I love private school. I love the community and all the people around me. My class was like my family because we were only 27 unlike public school where there are so many people and like my private high school now Bishop O’Connell. I think that I got a great education at private school than I would have if I had gone to public school. Don’t get me wrong, public schools have great teachers and here are smart and well educated people who go to public schools and go to good colleges but it’s so big that teachers can’t help every student like they could in my old school where the eighth grade class only had 27 kids and we get to learn about our faith and it is in cooperated in every class. I’m very happy that I went to a private school.”

-Margaret Parker (Now goes to Bishop O’Connell)

 

“Private school has a small community while public school has a big community. You learn and have fun with people you’ve known for several years in private school.  In public school you’re surrounded with unfamiliar faces and probably only one person you know.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Church_High_School

-Jennifer Nguyen (Now goes to Woodson)

 

Although, you think private schools and public schools are extremely different, they both have good educational systems and they will both help any student with good potential to succeed





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.