Netflix’s Spectacular Phenomenon of the Fall See Page 8
Kaepernick Scandal See Page 11
Presidential Election Pages 6&7
Fremont High School
the
PHOENIX
Vol. 5 Issue No. 2 oct. 28, 2016
Border wars continue in FUHSD by Sam Tumkur, Caroline He, and Maggie Bernauer
Collaboration
For many students attending Fremont High School, commuting to school can be long and tedious. The reason they still take the long commute is because of district borders. District borders determine which school district a student will attend. If a student falls within the boundaries of the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD), they will go there. Within the district, there are attendance boundaries and those determine the school within that district a student will attend. There is the fear that changing boundaries will decrease property value. Jason Crutchfield, FUHSD Director of Business Services, explains that for homeowners within the borders, changing attendance boundaries may increase or decrease the value of their home, depending on which attendance boundary they are in and how high-performing the school is. “When anyone is looking at district borders and attendance boundaries, the first thing they think of is ‘how does it affect me,’” Crutchfield said. “How does it affect my house?” Parents are not the only group concerned with this issue; realtors are concerned with it as well. “Realtors are heavily involved on all boundary issues,” Crutchfield said. “They have a vested interest in our boundaries, and they feel that it will affect what they can sell and how fast
they can sell a home. So there are realtors that back some of this, both financially and vocally with their time, every year.” A recent example regarding attendance boundaries would be with Lynbrook High School (LHS). Due to the decrease of Lynbrook students over the past few years, FUHSD suggested that a portion of Cupertino High School’s (CHS) attendance boundaries become a part of Lynbrook’s attendance boundaries. This has caused backlash from the Lynbrook community. “They’ve [Lynbrook parents] changed the history of their family tree by moving here,” Crutchfield said. “And every dime in their family is committed to this house so that their kids can go to the school for that boundary area. If there’s anything they think can change that, they think it’s scary. And when something scares you, you say ‘just don’t do it’.” The Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) is coming to a decision about what will happen with the Lynbrook borders on Nov. 15. This town meeting brings up the unresolved 1981 closing of Sunnyvale High School (SHS) and the effect it has on borders and FHS students. Due to the closure of SHS, Fremont is now the furthest reaching school in the FUHSD borders. Because of that, there is no border solution for FHS students that will result in a shorter commute time, nor is it financially reasonable to
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open a new high school in the FUHSD border. “We can’t change our borders too much because we are the southernmost part of the district border,” CAC Board Member David Heinke, said. This is why it is easier to simply expand campuses to deal with population increase rather than changing the attendance boundaries. “We plan our buildings in advance, and have them running by the time the increase in enrollment hits [the schools],” Crutchfield said. “That’s what we’ve been focusing on for the past six years and we’ve been doing a really good job of that.” For example, the new B-building at Fremont High School, which finished construction in 2015, is part of the district strategy to accommodate the increasing population of students. Along with more construction, the increasing population of students may have other effects on school resources. “It’s more students to educate with the same amount of money because we don’t get dollars per student,” Crutchfield said. “So I think it can thin out our resources.” FUHSD gets its funding from property tax, while many other districts get funding from the government for every student enrolled in their school. However, according to Crutchfield, the negative effects overall are negligible. “You’re still going to have a school that feels very much like it does today, and still be able to handle 2700
Photo Courtesy of fuhsd.org
students if needed,” Crutchfield said. Based on current projections for student enrollment, the FUHSD feels prepared to handle the growing student populations. Dramatic changes would only be needed if a
by Emily Wright Managing Editor
Fremont High School News - According to the Fremont High School website, FHS has three National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists this year: Abhinav Kotra, Rahul Prabhakaran and Jae Weller.
California News - According to NPR, Calif. Lawmakers have unanimously passed a law that requires mandatory prison sentencing for anyone convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious person. This comes after Brock Turner, a former Stanford swimmer convicted of the same crime, was released after serving three months of his six-month jail sentence.
rapid increase in the students were to happen. “Our schools would have to start addressing possible changes if we saw multiple schools getting close to the 3,000 (students) range,” Crutchfield said. “At some point, we’re going to have to
face the fact that we’re not some bedroom community anymore, that we’re in the heart of the Silicon Valley and that we’re getting bigger and bigger.”
U.S. News - According to the Los Angeles Times, FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver published potential electoral maps in hypothetical situations where only men or women voted, showing that if only men voted, Trump would win by a large margin. In response, several Trump supporters have started tweeting with #repealthe19th. This is in reference to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution that gave women the right to vote.
World News - According to CNN, Category 3 Hurricane Matthew has left more than one million people without power and has hit Florida and three Caribbean countries.
News
oct. 28, 2016
2
Homecoming Schedule 2016: Action Movies Homecoming School-wide Rally
Pep Rally & Pie in the Face
Homecoming Football Game
Homecoming Halftime
After school in the Amphitheater
Against Cupertino High School
Homecoming court introduce King, Queen, and Grand Martial
Wear FHS colors: Cardinal & White
Wear class colores
Homecoming Dance
Photos courtesy of Eon Productions, Lucasfilms Ltd., Lionsgate and Warner Brothers
Graphic courtesy of Clipartbest
Milk tea is revived for lunch at Fremont High School by Ambika Vaidya A&E Editor
Since the 2016-2017 school year started, several clubs have resumed selling milk tea, the most popular drink for Fremont High School fundraisers. However, milk tea was being sold after school instead of during lunch. This was due to the controversial issue that milk tea did not meet the dietary guidelines in the State of California Education Codes. Along with this, the Association Student Body (ASB) did not
want milk tea sales to cause decreasing purchases of school lunch. But then, why sell milk tea after school? “The state law says that you can sell unhealthy foods up to fifteen minutes before school or after school,” Assistant Principal Jeff Rosado said. However, during the last week of Sept., ASB decided to revert back to selling milk tea at lunch. That way, the funds for milk tea sales would increase, as more students would pur-
chase it during lunch than after school, and as a result, clubs, teams, and social events such as prom, would be better funded. “ASB found out some state law information and [compared it to] the milk tea information,” Rosado said. “We also talked to the cafeteria staff and made sure we weren’t competing with them.” Milk tea being considered an “unhealthy” food was discussed amongst the ASB members. However, the California dietary guidelines
Andrea Lanfranconi | The Phoenix
showed that milk tea could be considered a completely unhealthy drink. “We found out eventually that milk tea does meet California state dietary guidelines,” Senior Sarah Chou, a member of ASB, said. She and another ASB member, Junior Jacqueline Chavarria, found out that milk tea has only ten percent of its calories from sugar, whereas the most number of calories permitted by the guidelines is 35 percent. According to Chou, when she and Chavarria went to explain the milk tea situation to the cafeteria, the cafeteria staff denied that milk tea sales were affecting their lunch purchases. The cafeteria does not sell any tea products for competition, and on milk tea days, students who normally buy their lunch bring extra money to buy milk tea as well. With all these positive factors brought into consideration, ASB decided to start selling milk tea during lunch again, with Badminton Club being first to resume sale on Oct. 11. According to School Financial Technician Jo-
hanna Moyoli, the restarting of lunchtime milk tea sales will result in better-funded clubs and teams. “When [clubs] sold tea after school, they only [sold] about 50…they would sell around 150,” Moyoli said. According to Moyoli, clubs make profit over the tea they sold. On campus, TPumps is sold for five dollars, but originally bought for 3.50 dollars. Quickly is sold for three dollars, but originally bought for two dollars. Clubs also get a discount if they buy in bulk. Students seemed to enjoy milk tea more than any other foods sold by clubs on
campus. “I really like milk tea because it’s a really great drink for hot days or when you are really tired. It cools you down and it’s kind of soothing,” Sophomore Esha Saini said. Ever since the beginning, milk tea has been popular among many students. Milk tea may not be the healthiest drink in the world, but it meets dietary guidelines and gives FHS clubs and sports teams a better funding.
News 3
oct. 28, 2016
Interact takes on FLC by Mira Dhingra
Center Spread Editor
On Sunday Oct. 9, more than 4,000 high school students from around the Bay Area attended Interact District 5170’s biggest event of the year— the Fall Leadership Conference (FLC) at Independence High School in San Jose. Spanning across the San Francisco Bay Area, Interact District 5170 consists of 13 different “areas.” Each area holds several high schools in order to create stronger and smaller communities within the whole district itself. Interact is a nonprofit international service club that connects high school club members who are passionate about making a difference through service projects. Every year at FLC, Interact District 5170’s new community and international projects are announced. One community project and one international project are selected annually and members are challenged to exceed the service hour and money goal given. This year, District 5170’s community project is titled “Circle of Love.” The project aims to raise awareness about mental health while
reducing the stigma against mental disabilities. Along with highlighting mental health, “Circle of Love” promotes self-love and creating a loving and accepting environment. “I think that this project is very relevant, especially to this day and age,” Maya Gopalan, Co-President of the Fremont High School Interact Club, said. “It faces mental disorders and lot of people in the FHS community and the Bay Area struggle with this, especially teenagers in such a competitive environment.” During FLC, the new international project, titled “Me the Human,” was also announced. “Me the Human” aims to fundraise a goal of $120,000 for the current Syrian refugee crisis. These fundraisings will allow Syrian refugees to arrive to the United States and have the guidance and support needed for their new lives. FLC creates a lot of spirit and excitement towards Interact. Every area has its own color and mascot, encouraging each club member to fully embrace his or her identity within the district. FHS is a part of Area 12 along with Lynbrook, Monta Vista, Cupertino, and
Homestead High School. This year, Area 12 students sported green and orange shirts with the mascot “Dunkin Dinos,” to celebrate the event.
It’s really inspiring to see 4,000 students from all across the Bay Area come together to help multiple causes and be able to do so much maya gopalan In addition to the announcement of the new projects, FLC held workshops, hands-on service projects, and inspirational keynote speakers in order for club members to gain knowledge about the service done in Interact. Students were split into smaller groups that rotated between team bonding games, inspirational talks, and small service tasks. The team bonding games helped students meet new people within and outside of their Area, creating a safe and inclusive environment. Students were also able to complete service tasks, such as putting together craft kits
the for underprivileged children in the Bay Area. “It’s really inspiring to see 4,000 students from all across the Bay Area come together to help multiple causes and be able to do so much,” Gopalan said. Tackling the monetary goal has already been put into action; Area 12 is hosting Golden Coast, a mixer on Oct. 28 that will give high school students the opportunity to meet new people inside Area 12 while giving all profits to “Me the Human.” Other events are already being planned to fund the projects and exceed the monetary and service hour goals. “I’m really looking forward to the Charity Dance and International Night, because those are the two large events taken place this school year to raise money for our International Project,” Nguyen Tran, Secretary and Treasurer of the FHS Interact Club, said. “A lot of people from Area 12, along with members outside of the district, come to reunite and spend time with each other to raise money for this great cause.”
Fremont’s new staff members by Momina Nadeem Online Editor
Chary Salvador is a new Expository Reading and Writing teacher as well as a World Lit teacher on campus this year. Salvador recently moved to the Bay Area from Tampa Florida, and attended the University of Florida for college. Salvador fell in love with teaching while working as a mentor in college, and has been a teacher ever since. Outside of education, Salvador enjoys spending time with her dog, husband, and family, as well as doing home decor.
Tim Vorghin is the new replacement Auto Tech teacher on campus this year. He enjoys doing a lot of charity work and helping needy children overseas.
Dana Kuhlmann is the new library media teacher at Fremont High School. She attended UC Davis for her masters and San Jose State for her masters of library information science and teacher credentials. She enjoys playing with her dog, going to the movies, reading, and gardening.
PHOENIX Editor-in-Chief Maggie Bernauer
Managing Editor Emily Wright
News
Caroline He
Arts & Entertainment Ambika Vaidya Manavi Chandra
Sports
Michael Wang
Opinion
Dana Nissan Hannah Butay Center Spread Mira Dhingra Nadia Anees Lead Photographer Andrea Lanfranconi Online Momina Nadeem
Staff Writers
Sofia Agha Karla Alejandro Jessalynn Landor Chirag Bhatia Suryan Bhatia Roei Burstein Natalia Etter Cassandra Gines Lexi Kleinberg Miranda Kushner George Luna Claire Lyon Priscilla Martinez Karen Newmark Jenny Nguyen Thomas Poplawski Sophia Pulido Emaan Rao Patrick Ramos Emmanuel Ramirez Fremont High School 1279 Sunnyvale Saratoga Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (408)-522-2400 | fremonthighphoenix@gmail.com Advisor | Emer Martin Mission Statement:
The Phoenix, protected under the California Education code, is a public forum for the students of Fremont High School. The Phoenix staff will publish features, editorials, news and sports in an unbiased and professional manner. The Phoenix is the official student newspaper and is distributed free of cost to the students. The Phoenix publishes eight issues throughout the school year.
Editorial Policy Editorials are the official opinion of The Phoenix. Opinions and letters are the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Phoenix. All content decisions are made by the student editors and do not reflect the official policy of Fremont High School, nor the opinions of the administration, faculty, or adviser.
Vanessa Goulart is the new junior guidance counselor on campus this year. Goulart went to San Francisco State for her bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in counseling, as well as San Jose State for her masters. She decided to work in education because she wants to be able to tell other students what their options are. Outside of teaching, she loves spending time with her 6 month-old child as well as travelling. Andrea Lanfranconi | The Phoenix
Advertise with The Phoenix Contact us for more details at fremonthighphoenix@gmail.com or call at (408)-522-2200. Want to be part of The Phoenix? Letters to the editor and questions for Ask Esteban may be submitted online through our website, room 145, Ms. Martin’s mailbox, or emailed to us. Identities of those who submit questions will remain anonymous. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform to styles and policy.
Opinion The importance of sexual education 4
Oct. 28, 2016
An essential aspect of growing up and being safe in life
by Vivien Su Staff Writer
Although it is not usually part of the average dinner conversation, many can agree that the topic of sex is a necessary discussion that growing adolescents need to know about. Thankfully, schools have taken the weight off of parents’ shoulders by having the talk with children, from fifth grade all the way until high school. Sexual education is mandatory by California law, but parents can choose to opt their students out the program due to its “unsuitable material.” But an issue as crucial as this cannot be avoided forever, since every-
one will face the life issue of when to involve themselves in sexual situations one way or another. As a fifth grader, I never speculated how life was created on this planet. I knew the terms “asexual” and “sexual reproduction” but the thought of how the process applied to humans never crossed my mind. Little did I know, it was more than just kissing. When the time emerged, my fifth grade teacher had introduced the topic of sex ed, I was still as clueless as ever. Only when we dove into the content more questions arose for my teachers and parents. Badgering them about the content created an awkward atmosphere at home for days, but we all adjusted with time. But as I continued to engage in this program, throughout middle school, I gradually understood that this was a necessary issue to be aware of. Being situated in a classroom definitely gets the information across
less awkwardly than a oneon-one conversation with my parents. Normally, the curriculum is taught by a science teacher, who is considered most suitable to teach the material. Being in the program up until now, the content is never awkward or disgusting to me, because I know it is for my own benefit. I showed a sense of maturity that many of my peers have failed to do. If we realize that sex ed is for our benefit, we will understand how lucky we are to receive information that many others never will. In fact, I encourage all to partake in sex ed, in order to live a healthy lifestyle, and with time, grow a sense of maturity that can be spread to those around us. If we ourselves are aware of the material and our own individuals, we will acquire the knowledge of how to inform our peers and children correctly. As for the high school
curriculum, it serves as a repetition from middle school, yet I believe that through repetition, students will process the information. High school is a teen’s most vulnerable time, emphasizing how crucial sex-ed is for us. High school is a place for young adults to learn and plan for their futures. Parents expect us to make the right decisions, for when to engage ourselves in sexual activities. An unwanted pregnancy can be a huge setback for teenagers. Caring for a child can hinder our chances of success. Discussions at home do not match a school atmosphere. Having the privilege of being in a room, surrounded by peers, who are experiencing the same thing as you, makes sex-ed less awkward and more meaningful. In addition, learning from your teachers is usually more comfortable than sitting face-to-face with your parents.
In fact, the Advocate for Youth Organization states each year, U.S. teens experience as many as 850,000 pregnancies, and youth under age 25 experience about 9.1 million sexually transmitted infections. Obviously this data shows that unprotected sex is affecting the nation in a negative way, which is why it is so important to be informed about the dangers before we become victims ourselves. Teens who often fall victim of diving into immature situations often are oblivious of the dangers, which could have been prevented if they were aware of the risks by participating in a detailed, well-developed sex ed, provided by schools. In truth, my parents also encourage me to go through the program. Think of it not as a loss of innocence but instead, the stepping stone for making the right decisions as young adults. The importance of sex-ed shines bright, as STDs stand as one of the
leading causing of death among American teens. Therefore, that’s why I feel that those who choose to opt out, whatever the reason may be, are hindering their own protection. While I understand that parents are hesitant on allowing their child to educate themselves on such a touchy subject, the young children should know about these critical issues in order to remain a safe and healthy individual. Who knows if they will ever become aware of the situation at hand without sex ed? No matter what, it can never compare to a formal education through school, where they are placed in a safe environment with an abundance of materials and the opportunity to learn valuable knowledge.
Automated cars: driving us into the future
by Roei Burstein Staff Writer
With society’s fast paced technological advancements, self-driving cars are inevitable and coming sooner than previously anticipated. In this current day and age, technology is becoming more self-functioning, with innovations in robotics, electronics and especially transportation. Airplane auto pilot has been around since the early 1930s, automated trains since the late 1960s and soon—self-driving cars. However unlike most autonomous transportation in place today, the self-driving car will fundamentally change the automobile industry in an unprecedented way. These cars, if developed properly, will be beneficial to everyone. They will improve safety, driving efficiency and should be supported by consumers through purchasing the cars and the government through legislation. With this support, self-driving cars will come in huge numbers and present their benefits to all people interacting with self-driving cars The layout of a selfdriving car is unlike any other form of automatic transportation. While trains and airplanes have a more simple, linear route, cars
have complex paths with different speed limits, moments of deceleration, and literally moving obstacles surrounding them at all times. Of course this is very difficult to do. The reason self-driving cars were conceived decades ago but only carried out now is because the technology needed for them to operate safely has only recently been available. Numerous sensors are placed throughout the car to enable it to detect other cars and to be fully aware of its environment. Street regulations also have to be taken into account, and records of different street signs, speed limits, crosswalk locations, and innumerous information for every street the car might drive in have to be stored in the car’s computer. Additionally, other cars are a huge factor for the functionality of a self-driving car. Not only do self-driving cars have to avoid collisions with other vehicles, but also have to understand the right-of-way laws, when other cars are changing lanes, and when to use the horn to alert other cars. This abundance of situations and information a self-driving car has to analyze and enact in a cautious fashion could only have been programmed and constructed today. With these difficulties in mind, correct development of self-driving cars completely justify their existence on the streets with benefits that vastly outweigh any negative aspects of the self-driving car. Technology is at the point
where creating these cars to near perfection is possible, so backing these projects is necessary to ensure their creation and placement on the roads. Many large technology corporations like Google and Apple and leading car companies like Tesla, Nissan and Toyota, have already hopped on the self
every road of the developed world, so consolidating their maps system with their cars was an obvious advantage. While it will be dif-
computer that implements the understanding of the street information to its actions, the safety of everyone is improved with the self driving car. In the beginning their numbers will be
Photo courtesy of Google Self Driving Car Prject
driving automobile bandwagon. The primary candidate for the first to develop a fully independent car is Google, more specifically their Google X branch. Google X had began developing their self-driving car in 2009 and were able to so early because of their available integration with Google Maps. The GPS application already collects traffic data and street information for almost
ficult to do, the addition of self-driving cars will ultimately benefit society in every way cars can. For the self-driving car motorist: driving violations would vanish, pedestrians will be safer in the driver’s presence and the chance of collisions decreases significantly. Combining the functionality of the sensors that map out the area around the car with the
few. It will definitely take some time before they exponentially populate the roads and are full-proof enough to be recognized as legal in the entire United States. The cars are currently only legal in Nevada, California, Florida, Michigan, Hawaii, Washington, Tennessee and Washington D.C., but more states are debating legalizing self-driving cars. Many European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Belgium expect
to implement self-driving public transportation in the near future. When the day comes that these cars will exist in a large quantity, their communication with one another will have significant advantages to traffic flow and safety. They will be able to read from the sensors of the cars around them and enhance their own understanding of the area, making predictions and quick decision-making more accurate and faster. Along with this, they will decrease the amount of traffic. Self-driving cars integrated with these safety measures and advanced technology will benefit everyone when they find their way to the streets. This is why they should praise and advocate for the continued development of these cars. They will bring prosperity to the streets and increase the safety and efficiency to themselves and everyone around them. All in all, self-driving cars are coming and will bring significant advantages with them. While they are far from perfect today, improvements will come with time and self-driving car population increase. This might sound like the future, but this future will be the present very soon.
Opinion
Oct. 28, 2016
5
Social anxiety is not isolating
by Karen Newmark & Emaan Rao Collaboration
It’s living life afraid to speak, going on without saying a word to people. The thought of speaking in front of a crowd—or anybody, for that matter—can be one of the worst thoughts in the world. Social anxiety is a common mental disorder where individuals have an unreasonable fear of social situations. People will do anything to avoid social interactions, from plugging in their earbuds and listening to music to pretending to talk to someone on their phone. According to the Social Anxiety Institute, social anxiety disorder is the third largest mental issue in the United States. It usually occurs in public situations, like when talking in front of a large audience, or when being introduced to a new person. According to the
Anxiety and Depression Association of America, about 15 million Americans have a social phobia, which results in having very little or no social relationships. Although social anxiety is a serious issue for most people, the best thing you can do is know that you are not going through this alone. Social anxiety is a very difficult to deal with, leading you to feel alone. But feeling alone is much different than having social anxiety; it makes you feel like you can’t talk to anyone because you feel like you would be judged, like you have no opinion or say in anything because your opinion is too different for people to understand or agree with. When one of the authors was in 6th grade, she used to come up with random excuses not to go to school. She would lie, not because she didn’t want to
learn or do work, but because the people in that class scared her. She felt as though she was being judged every time she entered the room. She even feared saying the word “Here!” when the
teacher took attendance because she was so afraid of other people’s judgment. She knew some people didn’t like her and that worried her the most. She feared that at one point she would have to face them all. In the end, she had no other choice. She had to talk to them whether she wanted to or not. She felt so Sam Tumkur | The Phoenix alone in
Followers are not everything
by Hannah Butay Opinion Editor
People have the tendency to base their selfworth on material things. Because of this, some people assume that they need to have a lot of followers in order to feel good about themselves. Some people are so desperate to get followers that they’ll do anything. People will scream out, “follow me at @fakeusername123!” randomly in a quiet area while others will beg more popular pages for a shoutout. Some are even willing to go as far as to “buy” their followers using an app. Either way, the fact stands clear: there are people who are willing to undergo extreme lengths just for followers. Why? There are people who measure their self worth on material things such as wealth or status, so why not followers? Society tends to assume that a person with many
followers is popular and therefore well-liked, even though those two words do not necessarily correlate. Followers aren’t always friends, and vice versa. While I am aware it is easy to make friends online since the entire purpose of social media is to connect with people who aren’t close by, not every follower will be a friend. Having 1,000 followers doesn’t necessarily mean having 1,000 friends A person’s followers might know what they look like or what food they eat, but followers don’t genuinely know them like their real friends would. Followers won’t know that they cry every time they watch Titanic or that they love trashy reality shows, or the way their laugh sounds like a dying whale or their secret fear of the dark (and if they do, that person might just be posting a bit too much). Real, genuine friends are the ones who learn these kinds of things because they actually spend time with that person rather than just liking their latest posts.
This is also true for people who don’t have many followers. It may seem like they don’t have many friends or are disliked, but that is not true at all. Maybe all their friends just don’t have social media accounts. Perhaps they are just very careful on who they allow to follow them and only accept people they know really well. You can’t assume anything about an individual. The groups of friends taking photos and posting them on Instagram might not necessarily be friends in real life; they could actually hate and simply have taken a photo together. Followers don’t know the story behind the pictures, so people should not assume that their lives are full of fun and excitement just because they post a lot of pictures
Dana Nissan | The Phoenix
with their friends. You can’t judge a book by its cover. Having a lot of followers or likes on a post does not reflect who a person really is. While popularity is a major thing in high school, the amount of followers a person has on social media does not convey who they truly are. Personality isn’t always translated into posts. People only post the good things about themselves on social media because nobody wants to follow someone who constantly whines about their mother or about losing their job due to a fight with their manager. Online personalities differ from real life personalities. The only thing that defines who a person is and how much they’re worth is that individual. They know all their strengths and weaknesses more than anyone else, just like how they know all their failures and accomplishments. No amount of likes on a selfie or number of followers will ever replace the way anyone views his or herself. Everyone is worth more than the amount of followers they have on Twitter. It doesn’t matter if a person has 1,000 followers or 10, those numbers do not and never will define anything.
that classroom. She felt like everyone hated her and once she wanted to talk, she would be judged. She would especially dread the moment when she had to do a presentation in front of the class. She would go up with a shaky breath, stuttering words and her heart racing. What we’ve both learned in the past few years is that social anxiety is difficult to overcome. Sometimes if you surround yourself with people who love and care for you, it will help. Although this will not make your social anxiety go away completely, it can help you gain the self-confidence to speak, and it might take a while, but it does happen. Don’t let social anxiety control your life. Trust us—we know it’s hard. But social anxiety doesn’t define who you are. Only you as a person does, so let that be our message.
NO BULLYING Bullying can come in many different ways, such as cyber, physical and emotional. The worst part about bullying is the reaction people have when they see it happening. The people witnessing the bullying are either a bystander or an upstander. A bystander is by Cassandra Gines Staff Writer a person who watches and avoids the situation while an upstander is the one who either gets help or stands up for the victim. Bullying is one of the cruelest things a person can do. The pain bullying inflicts on someone can cause depression and cause abnormal behavior. They might start doing poorly in school, have suicidal thoughts and other mental issues. When a person is bullied they begin to feel that they do not have anyone and that no one cares if they are still living or not. That is what the bullies want: to make their victims feel small. Cyberbullying is seen often in our generation due to the free access to social media. Cyberbullying is more common now because it allows the bully to hide behind a screen rather than confront their victim in person. According to National Prevention Center, 32 percent of teenagers have reported that they have experienced repeated bullying through social media. 58 percent of teenagers have been cyberbullied, and 11 percent of adolescents and teens reported that embarrassing or damaging photographs have been taken of them without their knowledge or consent. In my opinion bullying should be put to a stop, because without bullying our lives as humans would be easier.
Special Feature
oct 28, 2016
6
Presidential Ele Clinton V
by Emmanuel Ramirez Staff Writer
From opposing tax policies to clashing educational visions, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have many different points of views. However, for every disagreement amongst the candidates, people often tend to take sides. Why is that? For one, it may be that people belong to one party and are opposed to the other party’s ideals and policies. Feeling passionate about a political party, but voting for the other party is simply unheard of. However, it ultimately comes down to the candidate’s policies and visions when deciding whether to vote for them or not. Even if people claim that they do not support a certain party or do not like either candidate running for this year’s presidency, people might vote for whomever they deem a better fit.
Why people favor Clinton over Trump
People favor Clinton because of the change she wants to bring to America, but which of her visions convinces people to vote for her? To begin, her visions are contrary to Trump’s, which appeals to people personally opposed to what Trump wants. Clinton and Trump are also different as they come from different backgrounds. Clinton comes from a middle class family, leading the middle class to feel as though Clinton may empathize more with them. Trump has an opposite effect, having been born into a wealthy family. People really like Clin-
ton’s political experience and how she is very familiar with the government. Clinton presents herself differently than Trump in ways that are appealing to some. Clinton normally presents herself as more involved with the people, in contrast to Trump’s more business self. Another factor of presentation are Clinton’s speeches, compared to Trump’s. Clinton’s speeches welcome people, whereas Trump might usually talk more about things concerning himself. Even if Trump does sometimes have reasons to talk about himself, some people dislike that, and are swayed to vote for Clinton.
on immigration would like to see Clinton as president.
Why people like Clinton’s policies
Beyond persona swaying people to vote for one or the other, the candidate’s policies influence people to want one candidate over the other. A big and relevant policy is that of their tax visions. While these policies differ greatly, Clinton believes in increased taxes for wealthier groups and closing loopholes in paying taxes. This would appeal to the middle class and gain their vote on this policy’s behalf since the idea of fairness presents itself. There are also the differences in immigration visions between the two candidates. Clinton promotes a more “lenient” reform of immigration as opposed to Trump’s desires. From welcoming refugees and giving illegal immigrants opportunities to succeed, Clinton’s visions are almost completely opposite of Trump’s. Therefore, people who support refugees and have more humanitarian stands
Essentially, Clinton’s policies are favored depending on the voter’s political and economical stances as well as morals.
What you need to know about the electoral college by Suryan Bhatia Staff Writer
The Presidential Election: a decision that will have a lasting impact on our country. Many think that electing a president is as simple as choosing a candidate and voting for them, but it is much more complicated than that. Here’s what you need to know: Every four years, each registered voter can cast one vote for who
they want the next presi“winner-takes-all” system dent, senators and reprefor electoral votes. Elecsentatives to be. tors are not bound to the candidate their state votes The Electoral College for, they can vote for any is how the president candidate they want; one’s is elected. There are vote does not matter under a set of 538 representathis system. tives, called electors, who are selected by the states. A minimum of 270 Each state gets a certain electoral votes is amount of electors based needed for a candidate on their population size to secure the presidency. and number of congres sional districts, with every Since there are 538 state getting at least three electors, a tie could electors. Most states have a occur. If this were to
happen, the House of Representatives votes for the president. However, each representative does not get 1 vote, each state receives 1 vote meaning the House can become deadlocked. The Senate independently votes for the vice president which, in this case, does not need to be of the same party. If the House of Representatives cannot decide on a president, the Senate-nominated vice
president becomes the open now that their six-year temporary president until term is over. All of the Repthe House can decide on a resentatives’ seats are open president. If the House of for election. Representatives and Senate cannot decide on a president or vice president, the Speaker of the House, currently Paul Ryan, becomes acting president. During the election, Senators and Representatives from the House of Representatives are also elected. Around a third of the Senate seats are
Special Feature
oct. 28, 2016
7
ection of 2016: VS. Trump by Sofia Agha Staff Writer
Donald John Trump first began his presidential campaign on June 16, 2015. His opposition to immigration and his free trade agreements have gained him many supporters. However, many of his remarks and opinions have been controversial, which has helped his campaign gain lots of media attention.
In fact, his most popularized and widely reported statements were on issues related to immigration and border security, including the infamous wall between Mexico and America as well as a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. So why do people support him, then? Here are a few reasons:
Trump is a political outsider According to a survey from the Pew Research Center for U.S. Politics taken by Trump supporters, 27 percent of Trump supporters claim that their main reason for supporting the billionaire is because he is not a career politician, which brings many people to believe that he will bring change to the country because of his political status. Essentially, some do not like the way our current politicians are running the country and are in search for any type of change. Trump is clearly not an average politician. He goes against the politician status quo. He does not tell people what they want to hear; he simply states whatever is on his mind. Trump supporters think current politicians are untrustworthy, make promises they never keep, and do not truly care about the people. To his supporters, Trump appears to be a “man of the people.”
People despise the opposition
According to another survey from the Pew Research Center, 33 percent of Trump supporters are voting for Trump mainly because they dislike his opponent, Hillary Clinton. They perceive Clinton as untrustworthy, especially
due to her email scandal where she used a private email server for official communications and important information rather than the State Department email accounts. They also dislike her because they see Clinton as the typical “untrustworthy” career politician. They believe that if she gets elected, she will continue with the same policies and government structure that most of the Trump supporters dislike.
Trump is a wealthy and successful businessman
Since he is a businessman, people expect him to better manage and reduce the country’s debt. He’s also expected to create new jobs and reduce unemployment because of his corporate background. For example, he built the Trump Tower and Casino, which means that these projects most likely created multiple jobs for construction workers, architects, and interior designers. This gives his supporters the impression that he would know how to make new jobs and reduce the unemployment rate. The fact that Trump built and led the projects for building the Trump Tower and Casino makes his supporters believe that he knows how to run businesses. People think that if he can run a business, then he can run a country.
Photos courtesy of Outside the Beltway, GOP, Anubha Gupta, Twitter, Don’s Auto Body
The Importance of Voting byMiranda Kushner Staff Writer
The upcoming presidential election has the potential to change the United States in enormous ways. Given that both candidates have drastically different views on key issues, such as immigration and taxes, this election will have a huge impact on the country. With the predictions of the voting percentages split almost halfway between the two candidates, one vote could potentially be the decision maker. Many people who will be affected by this election cannot vote, whether it be because of residential status or age. A lot of citizens who can vote do not fully appreciate everything this right
entails. Women spent fifty years fighting for the right to vote, while people of color did not receive the right until the mid-1900s; these movements that should not be taken for granted today. People have a chance to make a choice that will not only benefit themselves, but will also positively affect other people. Elections are a citizen’s chance to voice their opinion. Although it is not mandatory to vote in the United States, one should see it as his or her responsibility to vote. In many countries, such as Peru, it is obligatory that every citizen vote so that everyone is represented. Therefore, if one does not vote, they do not have the right to complain about the outcome.
Voting is an integral part of the democratic process, and although it is optional, it is a freedom that should not be taken lightly. This year, many people dislike both the Democrat and Republican candidates and are considering voting for a third party candidate. However, it is important to know the risks of voting third party. Although voting for a third party candidate may seem like a good alternative to the main parties, voting “green” will only split the vote from the main candidates, one of which will win anyways
due to people’s traditional voting tendencies. In 2000, Al Gore lost the election to George W. Bush because many Democrats voted for Nader, the third party candidate. This trend split the vote, leading to Bush’s win. Voting third party is an especially risky choice this year because of how uncertain the outcome already is. It is important to ask oneself if a third party vote will really be effective. The same is true with movements such as “Bernie or Bust”, an idea that many Democrats developed after
Bernie Sanders dropped out of the presidential race. The “Bernie or Bust” plan is to write Sanders’s name on ballots even though Clinton is the Democratic candidate. Although this is not illegal, it would be as ineffective as voting third party and equivalent to not voting. However, even if someone is unable to vote due to age, they can still aid the election process by encouraging adults and older friends to vote. Any eligible adults that choose not to vote, should be informed of the impact and need for voting. Just because someone is not old enough to vote, or cannot vote due to immigration status, does not mean that they are incapable of making an impact or affect-
ing people’s voting choices. Voting in the presidential election is one of the most important things a citizen of the U.S. can do to make changes, especially this year, where so much hangs in the balance. Never before have the citizens of this country had to choose between such drastically different candidates. A single vote could make the difference between the contrasting outcomes, an uncertainty that should really move everyone to vote. Not voting means one does not have any effect on the outcome of the election and no right to complain about it. Everyone who can, should take this as an initiative to vote this November and make a difference.
Arts & Entertainment The sci-fi show that swept the nation 8
oct. 28, 2016
by Sophia Pulido and Priscilla Martinez
collaboration
The hit Netflix show Stranger Things is a show that brings the strange and normal together and makes for a killer television show. Featuring genres in teen, science fiction and fantasy, Stranger Things takes place in the gnarly time of the 1980s where extraterrestrial monsters chase kids all over town and bald little girls with telekinesis powers pop up in the woods. Protagonists Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), along with the government and their community, try to locate their friend Will (Noah Schnapp) One unique setting in this story is a mysterious science lab — where scientists open portals to new worlds. However, they end up meeting a mysterious girl named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), the girl with mind powers. The most important characters are Eleven and Will, the
Photo courtesy of Creative Blog, Makeitstranger and Behance
boy who’s gone missing and the bald little girl who show up out of nowhere. Many strange and crazy occurrences take place during this time, when Chief Hopper uncovers surprising secrets that change everything, he keeps these secrets between himself until locals begin
to understand that more is going on with Will’s disappearance than what they know. Stranger Things is a throwback to the 1980s with its old fashioned wardrobe and set. Not only does this let us experience the 80s time, but it also adds on to
the suspense because the 80s already passed. The theme song also sets the stage for its mysterious and dark 1980s feel. In fact the soundtrack adds on to the suspense elements that can give the audience a jump scare. The show uses cinematic elements commonly seen in 80s movies. The uniqueness of the plot comes from its shocking, thrilling and exciting twists and turns, making the viewer’s emotions change every episode. But of course, this would not have been possible to achieve without the stellar performances and hard work from the cast and crew. With the brilliant di-
recting of Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer and Shawn Levy, the main cast and side characters put on a beautiful performance, as the audience grows to care about them and feel empathy when they are hurt on screen. It is as if the actors transmit their feelings through the screen for its audience members to feel. Winona Ryder, known from other projects like Edward Scissorhands, Mermaids and Beetlejuice, especially leaves an incredible impression on the audience with her realistic emotions and passion for acting. The other characters are important too, like Will’s friends. Dustin, Mike, and Lucas go all over town
looking for their lost friend. The three boys go through a lot, like having an extraterrestrial monster coming after them to having a secret agency show up at Mike’s house to take Eleven. The reason why this show is so good is because it shows how strong friendship can be. Stranger Things is definitely the next big thing on Netflix and in the world of entertainment because it certainly lives up to its name for its exciting yet “strange” plot line. On August 31, 2016, Netflix renewed Stranger Things for a second season of nine episodes to be released in 2017.
The exciting new Dowtown Cupertino by Manavi Chandra
Arts and Entertainment Editor
The downtown is where it’s at; eating lunch at a splendid restaurant or strolling through the streets and simply enjoying it. Main Street Cupertino, located on Stevens Creek Blvd in Cupertino, officially opened to the public Sept. 17. Located next to Vallco Mall, the downtown features a brand new town square, apartments and a hotel along with both familiar and new shops and restaurants, like the first Target Express. As it was the first time going to this downtown, I expected the experience to be like any other. But spending the day there, especially with my family, was a time for simply enjoying ourselves. We first went to the Target Express, which is a smaller version of the store Target. This store is good for those who want a quick purchase, especially good for Cupertino residents. As we went for lunch, we decided to go to the restaurant 85 Degrees Celsius Bakery Cafe. The cafe consists of baked goods like cakes and desserts at affordable prices, though with portions a little on the smaller side. The desserts melted in my mouth with its sweet taste. For the rest of the day we explored the new area and
I noticed many other shops and restaurants in the Main Street downtown. Other places visitors can dine at include Lazy Dog, Pieology: The Study of Custom Pizza, Rootstock, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Lyfe kitchen, Eureka! and Oren’s Hummus Shop. The downtown is easy to navigate through, with a square-like section that consists of a grass area with some of these shops and restaurants. Most of the buildings stand alone, with lofts being built in another section of the downtown. The way the downtown is built is relatively unique compared to other downtowns I’ve been to. Almost all of the stores and restaurants are new with minimal advertisements. They also have dining areas
Manavi Chandra and Andrea Lanfranconi | The Phoenix
outside of it with space to eat outside. Another store has couches outside of it along with other benches. Signs pointing out direction appealed to my eyes with its design as well. Most of Downtown Cupertino is not completely narrow, though walking
on its narrow streets gave me a Las Vegas vibe. Plus the fountain outside of Alexander’s Steakhouse further compliments the downtown’s greenery and spaciousness as well. There are also some new Apple buildings. At the completion of
construction, Downtown Cupertino will definitely be a popular place to go to. Most of the downtown does not even feel like a downtown; it feels more like walking through a carnival with the amount of space it has. The downtowns defi-
nitely spices up the city of Cupertino because it now has a center where people can go enjoy themselves. For those who want to go someplace new, Downtown Cupertino is definitely another option.
Arts & Entertainment 9
oct 28, 2016
The effects of restricted demonitization by Jenny Nguyen Staff Writer
Youtube has recently publicized their policy for monetization, causing an uproar in the online community. In Youtube terms, monetization is the act of making money off of advertisements. Demonetization is the removal of moneymaking advertising services from one’s content. The policy updates now let viewers see when a video is demonetized and receive a notice if a video has been demonetized. Viewers can request a manual review of the demonetized video and can re-monetize videos that are found to not violate the Youtube policies. Although beneficial, these policy changes led to content creators’ inboxes being flooded with email notifications of the demonetized videos that have accumulated over the past five years. The policies for ad-friendly content changed five years ago and since then, videos have been demonetized without the creator’s knowledge. Many content creators on Youtube earn their living primarily from ad revenue, which is
why the publicization of Youtube’s ad-friendly policies adds on to its controversy. Ad-friendly content is content that is deemed appropriate for all audiences. In Youtube’s Terms of Service, guidelines on what is said to be inappropriate by the service include “controversial or sensitive subjects” as well as the “promotion of drugs and regulated substances.” These vague guidelines are broken by almost every Youtuber out there. Every
Youtube video is deemed controversial according to these principles. This has proved to be an issue because Youtubers who talk about personal issues like depression, anxiety, suicide and addiction were demonetized and can not earn money from these kinds of videos. The policy updates have hit content creators the hardest. Waiting for the re-monetization of a video can take days and can be discouraging for content creators who want to make
timely and relevant videos. While unintentional, these guidelines can also cause professional content creators to rethink their channel’s content or feel like their opinions and creativity is not welcome on Youtube. Informational videos on medicine, skin care, dealing with being part of the LGBTQ+ community and many more videos have been demonetized and re-monetized. Even so, Youtubers shouldn’t have to wait days for their content to be approved in order to
receive credit and money for their original content. However, these guidelines affect the content creators and avid users of Youtube. People subscribe to Youtubers because they are interested in the content that they produce. Therefore, if content creators feel like their content needs to change in order to continue their career on Youtube, the people that were there to support them in the first place may leave. Not only is this already starting to happen, but many Youtubers
are debating on whether to leave the website altogether. The hashtag #youtubeisoverparty was trending on Twitter, with big Youtubers cracking jokes about how Youtube is dying and that content creators should just move on to platforms like Twitch. Twitch is a live-streaming website that appealed primarily to the gaming community. Streamers are be able to live-stream games for hours on end and earn money via donations. At the end of the stream, streamers can make “stream highlights” where viewers can watch the most entertaining parts of the stream. Recently, Twitch has added a new feature where streamers can now upload pre-made videos for their viewers. This feature has made Twitch become Youtube’s biggest rival in the content creation community. Even though the feature is only in the beta stage, it’s garnering a great amount of attention from content creators. Youtube’s current monetization policies are an attempt to make Youtube a more positive place for viewers. However, it could also potentially hurt content creators, with some talking about leaving to a different video sharing service.
Photo Courtesy of Youtube
Six costumes that can jazz your Halloween by George Luna Staff Writer
Don’t have time to make a quality Halloween costume? Well, you’re in luck because here are some cool, cheap and simple costume ideas to rock your last minute Halloween.
The Three Blind Mice: A take on the classic nursery rhyme, this costume is best to do with two of your friends. For this costume, you will need tinted glasses, colored paper, scissors, a headband and tape or any adhesive. If you don’t have a headband, use duct tape or tinfoil instead. For your ears, cut out two ovals bigger than your hands. Tape the ears onto the headband. The color of your ears should match the color of your shirt. Finally, put on your tinted glasses. You could also carry around a cane or paint your face with whiskers and a nose.
Skull Makeup: For a cliche-type costume, let’s go back to the basics and create some skeleton makeup. All you need is white and black makeup. A basic skeleton makeup design is to first cover your entire face with white face paint. Next add some dark black paint or eyeliner around your eyes and your nose. Now, draw on some teeth, and draw your mouth from your lips until your ears. For top-notch quality, you could draw a sugar skull by using another reference to add more detailed and intricate designs.
Static Cling: The next costume is super simple and only requires you to have an adhesive, a small article of clothing – preferably socks – and a plain tee shirt. Using a plain shirt will make the different colors of the clothing pop. All you do is glue or tape the clothing onto the shirt. If you own lots of different colored socks, then this is the perfect costume for you.
Profile Picture: Another cool costume idea is making a real life profile picture. Materials needed include markers, poster paper or cardboard – big enough to cover most of your body – and colored paper. It would be best to base your design off any social media site you use. First off, cut out a hole for your face. The size and placement of the hole is all up to you. Decorate around the hole where you cut the poster paper. You can decide how to design the rest of the costume at this point. Using a reference or copying your own profile from your social media account is recommended.
Scarecrow: Want to be a bit more stylish? The materials required are black makeup and a brown or beige colored hat, preferably a sun hat. For your face makeup, draw on some freckles onto your cheeks, and make your stitches go out from the ends of your lips to the tip of your nose. For clothing, it is also recommended to wear overalls, denim pants or a fall-colored plaid shirt. You can also add patches onto your clothing for more effect.
Happy Halloween! Halloween is the one day of the year to dress up in silly, outrageous costumes. Hopefully, this has given you some ideas for a Halloween costume. Happy trick-or-treating!
Bag of Jellybeans: This is a fun and vibrant costume that can make anyone stand out. The necessary materials are colored balloons, a ribbon and a large clear bag, enough to fit yourself in. Start by blowing up all the balloons that you have. Next, cut out holes from the clear bag for your legs, arms and head. Cutting the holes too big will cause the balloons to fall out. Some of the plastic will also be tied around your neck with the ribbon. Carefully slip into the bag, and then fill it with the balloons. Finally, tie the ribbon around the top of the plastic bag and your neck. If you want to make it a bit more realistic, create a logo with some poster paper and add nutrition facts on the back of the bag. Sam Tumkur | The Phoenix
Arts & Entertainment
OCT. 28, 2016
10
In the Time of the Butterflies vs. Lord of the Flies by Claire Lyon Staff Writer
This year, William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies was replaced by In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez for sophomore World Lit/Writ classes, a decision made by the Professional Learning Community. The PLC includes sophomore Lit and World history teachers. In the Time of the Butterflies is based on real-life events and people, deals with the Dominican Republic society during its rule under dictator Rafael Trujillo. Conversely, Lord of the Flies is pure fiction, describes a group of boys stranded on an island trying to build a society to live in. Both demonstrate different views of humanity after citizens of both books encounter issues with their governments. The way the main characters from both books react to difficult situations vary to quite a degree. In Lord of the Flies, a
group of boys try to build a government by electing the protagonist of the novel, Ralph, as their leader. As this eventually fails, the boys split into two groups, one led by Ralph and the other by Jack, the antagonist. During this split a few boys are unnecessarily killed, which ends up affecting how Ralph and Jack progress in their struggle for power and survival. Clearly actions of the two leaders do not necessarily help the boys in their survival on the island. In the Time of the Butterflies shows how Trujillo jails two of the four Mirabal sisters after they promote rebellion against him. However, the two sisters try their best to maintain their sanity
and keep their smarts by holding a little school inside their cell. It was clear that the Mirabals react more practi-
more cautious and acutely aware of the consequences or benefits of behaving in a certain way, while in Lord of the Flies the characters
cally to difficult situations than that of the boys in Lord of the Flies. The Mirabal sisters and the characters around them tend to be
seem less concerned about the consequences of their actions. As for thematic elements, both books clearly
express the themes of rebellion and sacrifice through the continuous struggles of the Mirabals against Trujillo and the unnecessary killings of people that were vital to the revolution due to the poor judgement of the leaders. One of the more obvious differences of the two books is the author’s’ writing styles. The focus of In the Time of the Butterflies is on the perspectives of each of the four sisters by rotating through their individual point of view in the book, while in Lord of the Flies it is conveyed through a third person point of view. Personally, it seems logical to change from Lord of the Flies to In the Time of the Butterflies because anyone that reads Butter-
flies can understand the author’s message without much difficulty. It makes more sense to have a diverse inspirational narrative from the Dominican Republic about Latina women fighting against their corrupt government than British schoolboys trapped on an island taught in Sophomore World Lit classes. Overall I would recommend In the Time of the Butterflies because of it being easier to understand. Though Lord of the Flies had me at the edge of my seat with its interesting interactions between all of the characters. Overall I had a satisfying reading experience of both books and would recommend both.
Photo courtesy of Bookaholics and Amazon
Flaws with Apple’s newly released iPhone by Chirag Bhatia Staff Writer
With the release of the iPhone 7, controversy has sparked amongst many of Apple’s loyal customers. Apple Inc. Is known for releasing a new iPhone every six months. It seems that they never fail to impress, since the extravagance of each release seems to top the previous one. Ever since the blueprints and prototypes were anonymously leaked in July, the excitement for the release has built up. Improvements include a better camera, faster computing speeds and higher resolutions. These were only a few of the changes that were made. Normally, users could plug their headphones into the 3.5 mm headphone jack to listen to music in private. However, Apple has made a big decision to remove the headphone jack from the phone and have users plug in an additional cable if they would still like to use their wired headphones. In an attempt to fix this issue, Apple made two changes to the earphones. Generally every iPhone sold is shipped with a pair of earphones. This time, Apple ships the earphone with a lightning cable that plugs straight into the charging port. The only problem with
this is that the user no longer has the option to listen to music and charge their phone at the same time. But to counter this issue, they also have built wireless,bluetooth earbuds for the iPhone, called “Airpod.” Although this solves the problem of the removal of the headphone jack, it is an expensive alternative. The price of the Airpod starts at 160 dollars. Aside from the headphone jack, Apple claimed to have added a rubber seal into vulnerable areas—like the lightning port and the speakers—on the phone. The reason Apple included this seal in the phone was to attempt to make the phone water resistant, resulting in the misconception amongst customers that the phone was waterproof. However there is a major difference between these two. The waterproof feature allows the phone to be completely submerged into water without any damage being done to the phone. However,
water resistance is where the phone can only have light water splashed onto it without any damage being done. Many users who tested this feature of the phone and had their phones severely damaged by water later saw that the iPhone 7 actually does have a strong waterproof feature without any major damage being
done. However, this feature is not consistent among all of the phones and leaves most of the users confused and dissatisfied. Along with this, the new update iOS 10 to the iPhone’s operating system makes the phone look sleek and user experience has improved drastically as a result. In order to test out the user experience, Apple
decided to run a beta, which is a trial process in order for Apple to receive feedback on the new operating system. The beta started for iPhone users in early August. Many who updated their phone to iOS 10 loved it, and some, not so much. However, some downsides to the revolutionary update include a weaker encryption, which can allow hackers to access the user’s information much quicker. In fact, the phones were attempted to be hacked during the beta since security was weak at that point With this controversy surround the iPhone 7, many people are hesitant to buy the new phone. At first glance, the new changes have left the majority of Apple’s customers disappointed. However, the Apple stock still managed to increase drastically. Many loyal customers decided to buy the phone anyway, and
they were surprised. The new changes in the phone did not seem to impact the day to day use of most people.
Warning: iPhone 7 contains waterproof controversy and the headphones are jacked up
Photos courtesy of slate.com, lowestonline.in, clipartpanda
sports Protest or Hate: The War on the Anthem
11
OCT. 28, 2016
by Lexi Kleinberg Staff Writer
Colin Kaepernick has been extremely popular in the media and news headlines ever since he started refusing to stand for the national anthem. The backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick has submerged himself in a world of controversy and debate since he commenced his protest. Kaepernick started kneeling during the national anthem of the first and second 49er preseason games, but he not only went unnoticed but he was also alone in his refusal to stand. Kaepernick was finally noticed after the third preseason game, gaining nationwide attention. Kaepernick has since spoken out and informed the media behind the reason of his protest. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.” Kaepernick’s peaceful protest has generated conversation around the world. The protest sparked a nationwide controversy
Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated
KAEPERNICK and Reid kneel during the national anthem of 49ers vs Panthers game
about race relations in America. Kaepernick’s protest has been immersed in a conversation spectrum that consists of people who completely object to the protest and individuals who support and have started participating in the movement. The opposition to this protest has come in many different forms but the resistance is most prominent over social media where Kaepernick has received thousands of death threats. On the contrary, many people agree with and support Kaepernick’s decision to not stand for the Anthem. One example of this support can be seen in Kaepernick’s jersey sales. There is no current football player in the NFL with higher jersey sales than
this 49er player; the cherry red jersey has produced a steady climb in sales since his protest gained nationwide attention. In addition, according to the article ¨Tracking the Kaepernick Effect: The anthem protests are spreading¨ In total, at least 47 NFL players have begun kneeling, sitting, or raising a fist during the anthem. A total of three teams have linked arms during the anthem which is another sign of unity among the racial tumult. Although the opposition to Kaepernick’s protest is still prominent, the protest has even spread to other professional sports teams and athletes. In early September, U.S. Women’s soccer player, Megan Rapinoe was spotted kneeling
Andrea Lanfranconi | The Phoenix
VARSITY Football players Ullmann and Takafua demonstrate the Kaepernick kneel
during the Star-Spangled Banner before her game against the Chicago Red Stars. According to ESPN, Rapinoe said her action was “a nod to Kaepernick.”
I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color COLIN Kaepernick West Seattle High School, Auburn High School, Maury High School, and Garfield High School are just a few high schools in America that have also
taken part in the protest. Now referred to as the Kaepernick Effect, kneeling for the anthem has spread to many high school sports teams. Similar to Kaepernick, many adolescent athletes have received negative feedback after refusing to stand. According to Complex News Rodney Axson from Brunswick High School in Ohio was the first student athlete to kneel after he heard some of his teammates using racial slurs. After kneeling, Axson also received multiple death threats and was called the n-word multiple times that week. Although many schools have embraced and joined the protest, here at Fremont High School, football players have yet to kneel, raise a
fist, or link arms during the anthem. Varsity quarterback Roman Stein explains why he is neither against nor for the protest. “At first I was pretty angered by it because I have always taken the national anthem pretty seriously and I was bothered that he [Kaepernick] would sit for it,” Stein said. “But I began to think about it, and in the constitution we are given the right to protest. If sitting during the National Anthem is going to bring attention to these issues and cause change, then I respect that. A big football star, not standing for the anthem is one of the most outstanding ways to raise awareness.” Three other Fremont football players were asked whether they would join Kaepernick’s movement and sit during the anthem. They all answered in the same way: they would kneel if the team decided to do so. Allowing the protest to be a team decision enforces the importance of brotherhood throughout the team, which mirrors the true meaning behind Kaepernick’s protest.
sports Running for Gold 12
by Natalia Etter
OCT. 28, 2016
Battle of the Bell
Staff Writer
Pranav Balgi is a part of the Cross Country team at Fremont High School. He started Cross Country back in sixth grade just to try it out. “I started in Middle School because in Elementary School I always enjoyed running whenever we did it in PE,” Balgi said.“So I tried in Middle School, and I really enjoyed it.” He continued Track and Field the following years because he feels really accomplished when he sees himself improve his time after every race. Running has been his main activity for about seven years now. He practices after school for one to three hours and sometimes even on Saturdays. As some may know, it can be challenging to keep up with grades when participating in an after school sport. However, Balgi manages to earn good grades. After attending practice, he gets home and goes straight to completing his homework to keep his grades as high as he can. The fact that he has less free time also helps him be more efficient in school. He can be more aware of what’s happening in class if he has no free time than if he had a free time in between to get distracted.
“If I had just that extra time to do nothing, I’d be less efficient, lazy I guess.” Balgi said. Even though he has long practice hours and hours of homework Balgi says there are a lot of late nights but it is all worth it because it feels good to get a lot of
work done. During the Track and Field season Balgi mostly runs four by four hundred relays but he also runs the sixteen hundred meter, the mile, the thirty six hundred meter, the two mile, and the eight hundred
meter or two laps on the track. He chose those events because he feels that he has a strong endurance; when he tried out short distance running events the results were not very good. Before he runs at meets, Balgi performs a ritual that consists of warming up a bit by stretching or doing strides. When running his events, Balgi claims he does not always have the best tactics. He mostly tries to target the people ahead of him, but he also keeps the same momentum as he targets them. He does not want to run too fast, but he does not want to run too slow either; Balgi wants a balance to be as efficient as possible. All Balgi needs is selfmotivation to earn a better time for each race. “Seeing yourself improve over each race makes you feel good and accomplished,” Balgi said. “It feels really good at the end of a race when you get a better time.” Sometimes, improvement and motivation is all anyone needs.
FREMONT fans are pumped to see the game
FREMONT cheer team ready to cheer Fremont on
FREMONT and Homestead face off
FREMONT prepares for a defensive play
Photo courtesy of Ganesh Balgi
Emily: Star Spiker
HOMESTEAD puts on an eventful halftime show
by Karla Alejandro Staff Writer
Senior Emily Mahoney is the Varsity Captain of the volleyball team at Fremont High School. She has been captain for the past three volleyball seasons. Mahoney has been playing for nine years; she started playing in the fourth grade and plans to continue playing at De Anza College as she studies to become a nurse. What motivates Mahoney to play are the people who are better than her like Olympians and coaches. Mahoney loves playing volleyball because she loves the people and the friendships she makes. “School volleyball is so cool because you get to go to school with your teammates,” Mahoney said. “It’s like a family.” On the court, Mahoney plays middle and outside hitter, a person who blocks the ball from getting to their side and spikes down, which is an attack. In this position, she believes that her strongest attribute on court is her powerful swing, and her weakest would be her passing. Despite this, she always has a positive attitude and is always full of energy on court because as captain
her mood radiates and can affect her teammates. In turn, she believes that a positive mindset is everything. Before she goes on court she always highfives all her teammates and knocks on wood if anything negative comes to mind. When playing, Mahoney’s mentality is very focused. She is always learning from the previous play, shaking off her mistakes and looking towards the next play and what she can do. She tries to strategize with the opposing team’s defense and finds their weak spots. Because of her positive attitude and focused mentality, she is very successful on court. One unique aspect about Mahoney is that she is very superstitious. For example, whenever she goes to serve she has to bounce the ball three times, then takes a deep breath and tells herself “I got this”; then, she is able to serve. Volleyball continues to be one of the top priorities in Ma-
honey’s life because she has invested a ton of time, effort and money in order to improve herself. She also keeps playing because it is a “destresser” and a way that she can get away from the world for a while. When she plays she has no other distraction in her mind; she is only focused on one thing: playing. Mahoney believes that it also keeps her in shape. “[I want] to get that beach body so that is a major plus.” Mahoney said. Another reason that drives her to continue to play is that she has developed some of the best friendships ever, which allow her to connect with people on a deeper level. “My teammates are definitely a family to me,” Mahoney said, “and I know that I can go to them with anything because the court is a safe space.”
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FIREBIRDS lose with pride
Roei Burstein and Andrea Lanfranconi | The Phoenix Roei Burstein | The Phoenix