On very few occasions does the the advancement of technology lead to strides in simplicity. But along with apple’s 200+ updates and features, which comprise the new iOS 5 format, iCloud is light years beyond its time.
Cloud storage is essentially an online network that stores information on virtual pools of storage and are usually hosted by third person parties, such as Apple. Apple’s version, aptly dubbed ‘iCloud,’ has been anticipated for its months of development, leading up to its recent introduction.
Photo Courtesy of www.americansongwriter.com
This feature allows information such as data, photos, contacts and apps to be shared between all iOS devices. For instance, when a picture is taken with an iPhone, iCloud allows this photo to be stored on all similar devices, running with iOS 5 simultaneously. With virtually no effort, it is now possible to store all Apple content on all Apple devices.
“I think that it is a great innovation that apple has made for its products. It’s easy to use and allows you to basically share allow of your files between any of your apple devices whether it be an iPhone, iPad or iMac,” said Matt Noll, pleased with the capabilities of the new program.
Although there are various ‘cloud’ formats which rival apple’s take on the concept, none offer the effectiveness and simplicity associated with iCloud.
Apple has hyped their cloud service up for almost a year now and after boasting its capabilities while still in development, only 10.96 percent of users believe it to be what they had anticipated. The majority of folks are still blown away with the smooth, clean operation of the addition to apple’s futuristic arsenal.
As always, Apple has continued to delight its audience with its array of features. From apps such as ‘Rate a Fart’ to ‘iCloud,’ never before has it been more appropriate to say “there’s an app for that.”
Pennsylvania lawmakers are giving ‘texting behind the wheel’ the red light.
After years of studies and debates concerning texting while driving, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett is projected to sign a proposed bill that will make it illegal to combine the two any longer.
Under the new law, police officers would be able to pull over any motorist that they suspect of text messaging. Being a primary offense, texting while driving may be the only violation needed to be pulled over, instead of the prior slap-on-the-wrist approach when violators of other laws are suspected of texting. The State Senate has voted to pass the bill, 45 – 5. If approved and enforced, this bill would be effective in March. Violators would face a $50 fine.
“If they (police officers) want to make people conscious of it, a fine is acceptable, but if they really want to stop it, they need to put points on your license, like with a speeding ticket,” said Diane Bounds, librarian of Penn Manor High School.
Bounds believes that Bluetooth devices should be available to those motorists who heavily rely on constant communication as a part of their occupation.
Photo Courtesy of wtsacremento.files.wordpress.com
In an effort to reform the safety and well being of Pennsylvania’s motorists, officials have been counting on this bill to be put into effect. The proposal of this bill has been a slow process, with Pennsylvania lawmakers taking years to get to the present state.
“This bill will be a welcome addition to motorist regulations. It will eliminate another major factor of accidents and give drivers peace of mind,” said high school motorist Derek Harzinski.
According to a study performed by Edgar Snyder and Associates, for every six seconds of drive time while simultaneously text messaging, 4.6 of those seconds are spent with the motorists’ eyes not on the road, a hefty 77 percent. This risk is greatly magnified for truck drivers while text messaging, leaving them to be 23.2 times more likely to get into an accident than a trucker paying full attention to the road.
“We can’t continue to play ping-pong with the House on this issue,” said an anonymous Pennsylvania representative.
However, not all folks support this proposed ban. Some believe that this law would infringe upon personal liberties. These people think that if a motorist is driving without paying attention to the road, and is texting, then they should be charged just the same as someone who is alert and attentive.
Other people believe that if texting behind the wheel is outlawed, folks will be more inclined to keep their phones below window level and out of sight of police officers. The problem with this possible outcome is that the lower in the car a person’s phone is while they are texting, the further their eyes have to travel from the road. If this were not banned, motorists could legally text with their phones on or above their steering wheel. This would, in theory, create a more safe scenario than its sneaky, lap-level counterpart.
It is now up to Governor Tom Corbett to either make or break this much anticipated addition to motorist safety in Pennsylvania.
Many people are aggravated when it comes to bone-chilling temperatures, but for hunters, it is anything but.
Cold weather can make a hunter’s spot in the woods a paradise. While some Penn Manor students hate to see the bad weather hit so soon, other students couldn’t be happier.
“Cold weather is the best for hunting, deer move around a lot more,” said Penn Manor senior David Schneider.
According to Ezilon.com, white tailed deer tend to be more active during cold weather rather than warm weather. In warm weather, deer like to settle down in cool, dense areas where as in colder weather, they experience and adrenaline rush and like to roam around to stay warm.
Photo courtesy of fcps.edu
“Around here, warm weather is almost the worst weather to hunt in. I hardly see anything,” said Penn Manor senior James Frese.
Deer, like many animals, also have an amazing sense of when Mother Nature is changing and storms or other bad weather is coming. Since whitetails are herbivores, they only eat plants. So, with temperatures decreasing and winter approaching, deer scramble to find food before the bad weather sets in for good and food sources become scarce.
Since the temperature decreases earlier in the year, deer begin to get out and eat all they can before the winter hits. This causes them to be more interested in food and less interested in predators causing hunters to see them more.
‘There’s been so many deer out lately just roaming around eating plants, ” said Frese.
According to the farmers almanac, this winter is going to be cold and wet. The weather around our area will be unusually cold and stormy.
“I cant wait to hunt this winter, I’m gonna be killing all sorts of deer,” said Penn Manor senior, Patrick Sarvard.
In a double overtime thriller that had fans on their feet, the Comets picked up a hard fought victory against Central Dauphin on Wednesday night.
Emily McCoy banged home the game winner for the Comets in the 87 minute, which slates them a semifinal game against Warwick. It also gets them a berth into the state playoffs.
The Comets at halftime during the Cedar Cliff game last week. Photo by Sam Valentin.
The lady Comets started off the scoring when Eryn McCoy scored off an assist by Shannon Sloss 14 minutes into the game. But the Rams did not take long to answer when Katie Foran scored just before the half. The game would remain tied for 57 minutes which included some very rough play, pressure, some cards, warnings and even some elbows.
“It toughened us up…,”said Penn Manor coach Matt Soto who notched his 501 win. He earned 500 late last week with a win over Cedar Cliff.
The Comets will face the LL league Champions, Warriors at Hempfield on Thursday at 6pm. This will be the fourth meeting between the two league rivals with the series being at 2-1, going the Warriors way so far. Both teams picked up a win on the opposing teams field during the regular season but that all changed once the LL league playoffs rolled around. The last meeting between these powerhouses was an overtime thriller full of emotions. It was a crushing defeat at Warwick. This game also crowned the Warriors LL league Champions, a title the Lady Comets wanted. So this game could be another defeat at the hands of the Warriors or redemption for the title they stole from them.
“We owe them one,” Said Soto. “It will be a fun game.”
The players won’t be joking around once that game clock starts running though.
The winner of this game would face the winner of the Hempfield vs. Lower Dauphin game at Milton Hershey Stadium at 2:30 on Saturday.
In note, the last time the girls lost the LL league title they took home states. This was 2008 so most of the players don’t remember this but for most seniors its a vivid memory.
“It has to have color, and it has to have swag,” said Reagan Forrey, student at Penn Manor.
Penn manor students are turning their “swag” on high this year with stylish clothes from stores all over.
“If I’m going to the beach or on vacation, I’ll save up my money to shop there; I’ll find new styles that no one has ever seen,” said Forrey.
Many students at Penn Manor shop at Burlington Coat factory, Target, and Tanger Outlets; but the first place students typically go to is Park City Mall.
“When I’m at the mall, I always go to Pacsun because their pants are two for $60,” said Dimitrius Dennison, student at Penn Manor.
Photo of Park City Mall- Courtesy of aboutlancaster.com
“I get my shoes from Footlocker and Finishline, and I’ll buy some clothes from Aeropastol,” said Dennison.
Since many students have their own jobs and are shopping with their own money, how much are they willing to spend?
Dennison said, “Less than $100 on a pair of shoes, the most I would spend on a shirt is $30, and no more than $50 on a pair of jeans.”
However, Forrey is willing to spend more.
“I’d spend $200 on shoes, $40 tops on a shirt, and $65 on a pair of pants.”
Both boys said price is the first thing they take note of while shopping, and both boys pay for their own clothes.
Girls on the other hand, are more lenient when it comes to the cost of items, especially when it involves shoes.
“There is NO price limit on shoes!” said Jenna Hess, student at Penn Manor.
Hess with her funky, cool style, never sticks to one store when she’s shopping.
“I will definitely shop anywhere. There are always little stores, especially downtown that people would not usually walk into that have cute stuff,” said Hess.
Lancaster is a great place to go if you’d like to give your wardrobe a new look.
Penn Points is proud to announce that some of its writers have won top state and national writing competitions this year.
On the national level, Penn Points was tied with a another newspaper from a school in Kansas for the most national awards, with four a piece from the National Scholastic Press Association.
One story, named in the top five feature stories by the NSPA, is still in the running for feature story of the year and overall national story of the year. This story, entitled “Life” has a different meaning for juveniles tried as adults, was written by Penn Manor grad Bryan Hess and senior Sarah Schaeffer.
“It’s an honor to be nominated coming from a small school in Pennsylvania and be in the running against California schools with very strong school newspapers,” said Schaeffer.
Penn Points received three other awards from the NSPA. Blake Wales and Jordann Stekervetz’s story titled A Permanent Remembrance Bears Painful Burden won an honorable mention in the Multimedia Package category. Morgan Fletcher’s story entitled Should the N-Word be given a green pass in school? received an honorable mention in the Diversity category. Faith Walauskas also received an Honorable Mention for an editorial cartoon.
Connor Hughes's PSPA Certificate. Photo by Alex Kirk
Penn Points’ authors were also rewarded for their talent in state-level competition. The Pennsylvania School Press Association awarded ten different authors for a combined total of sixteen awards. Here’s the list of PSPA awards……..
Kendal Phillips – Bronze in News Writing
Connor Hughes – Bronze in News Writing
Cheyenne Weber – Silver in Feature
Amber Brenner – Silver in Feature
Bryan Hess – Gold in In-Depth Coverage
Jake Shiner – Bronze in News Writing
Sarah Schaeffer – Gold in In-Depth Coverage
Alex Geli – Silver in Sports Feature, Gold in Sports Feature, Bronze in Feature
Simon Zimmerman – Bronze in News Analysis, Bronze in Column Writing
Sarah Garner – Gold in In-Depth Coverage, Bronze in News Analysis, Bronze in News Writing (2).
“I’m really glad I won something” said Hughes. “It was a big surprise to me that I received the award.”
There’s nothing better to wake up and start your day to than a nice steaming hot cup of Joe.
“It wakes you up and never lets you down,” says Penn Manor senior, Lauren Anderson.
Coffee has a bad reputation for stunting growth and staining teeth, but recent studies are showing that it’s not as bad as people think.
In fact, coffee is good for you.
Studies have shown that people who drink coffee on a daily basis are less likely to have heart problems or strokes, along with many other health problems.
A delicious cup of coffee
Coffee is overlooked when it comes to healthy beverages. It’s frowned upon as an addictive caffeinated drink that stains teeth and gives you the jitters.
People don’t realize all the health benefits of drinking coffee.
Other than helping relieve those nasty headaches and migraines, coffee also helps prevent against deadly diseases like type 2 diabetes, dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
It’s definitely worth a few tinted teeth.
According to EatingWell Magazine’s Associate Nutrition Editor, Kerri-Ann Jennings, coffee has more antioxidants per serving than blueberries, making it the biggest source of antioxidants in American diets.
It’s healthy and delicious. So it’s no wonder why so many Americans religiously drink coffee.
Neil Osterweil of WebMD stated that the average American drank 416 eight-oz. cups of coffee in 2009.
Although caffeine is technically a drug, drinking some home-brewed coffee before you go to work might be one of the healthiest things you do all day.
After a heartbreaking fifth game loss to Hempfield Wednesday during league play, Penn Manor girls volleyball is ready to redeem themselves.
Teams from around the district will compete for the district title Today at 4:30pm at the Dallastown High School.
Twins, Remi and Cassidy Sangrey attempt to block a kill against Hempfield.
The starting line up for Penn Manor includes, twins Cassidy and Remi Sangrey, Nicole Harnish, Jessie Greenslade, Dana Mowbray, Myranda Kemrer and Caroline Raush.
Coach Jarod Staub will take JV players along but plans to only play his varsity girls.
“I expect it to be a long night of good volleyball. If we can do all the things we practice, we should do well,” head varsity coach, Jarod Staub said on his expectations for tonight’s events.
The Comets will take on Spring Grove, Cumberland Valley and Garden Spot tonight.
“Must win,” Staub said reffering to their goal. If the Comets win this evening, they will play Thursday. After playoffs, Comets hope to be in the semi-finals and then win the district finals for the first time.
“Its a good group of girls. They work hard and are fun to be around,” Staub said.
The Comet’s coach said he doesn’t need to offer incentives for his team to play hard.
“It’s about the most intense thing I’ve seen in Millersville,” said a volunteer firefighter.
Yesterday around noon, The Framery Etc. at 10 Manor Ave. exploded due to a drilling mistake that led to a gas leak. The Framery Etc. is a local owned business that was a staple in Millersville for over 30 years.
“From what I understand, the people that were putting in the fiber optic cables were drilling underneath the road and they drilled into a gas main, which caused the gas leak. Which in turn, caused the explosion you see down there. No one was hurt,” said Millersville Borough patrolman Officer William C. Young.
The aftermath of the Framery Etc.
At approximately 11:53 a.m, fire units were dispatched to the scene of the explosion. Fire units also evacuated homes and businesses in the Millersville area, due to the risk of other houses being affected by the gas leak.
Not only did the explosion startle Millersville residents, it also left thousands without power, including Penn Manor High School. Trick-or-Treat night was canceled in the borough as well.
“More buildings could explode because the gas is still actively leaking as we are standing here,” said Officer Young.
Staff at the Barn Door, which is located only hundreds of feet from The Framery, reported the smell of gas.
“We smelled gas during our lunch hour,” said Gary McCauley of the Barn Door.
Although, the odor didn’t cause the evacuation, fear of additional explosions did.
“They didn’t evacuate us until after the explosion,” said waitress Tammy Nickels.
John Hanna, Owner of the Framery Etc. in Millersville, doesn’t believe this incident should go unpunished.
“I’m very upset. I lost a lot, I lost my business, I lost the store I’ve had for 36 years. Somebody is going to have to answer to a lot of people. And they put the fire police in a tough situation,” said Hanna.
What also makes the situation so difficult for Hanna is, the fact that he didn’t order for the installment of the cables.
“AT&T had contracted to put in fiber-optic cables, I had nothing to do with it,” added Hanna.
When asked if he would press charges, he said, “I haven’t thought that far ahead, but someone needs to give me some answers.”
Meanwhile at the high school, students and teachers were initially “in the dark” about the cause of the power outage.
“This is incredible,” said Penn Manor senior Landon Alecxih. “What is going on outside that could possibly cause this?”
“I think it’s kind of funny, aren’t there back-up generators?” Jess Huber, a Penn Manor senior, pondered.
During the remainder of fourth block, students were without lights or the Internet.
“I think it’s the first one for Penn Manor,” said Barb Trostle, a Librarian at Penn Manor. “I have to say I’m impressed by how the students maintained their calm.”
Some students have varying opinions about the reason for the shutdown of power.
“We have a student hacker, that is planning the demise of Penn Manor High School,” guessed Selena Hasircoglu.
“This power outage is really distracting me, I have Russian 3 homework to be doing,” said Zach Kauffman, a senior class officer.
The district server was down as well, frustrating Penn Points reporters who covered the story.
School officials were continuing to monitor the situation by Tuesday and had made plans to evacuate the school in the event of an emergency.
Cheyenne Weber, Jake Shiner, Brandon Schuman and Sarah Schaeffer contributed to this report.
Photos by Alicia Ygarza – just click on photos for slide show to appear-
The explosion from the gas leak practically leveled The Framery on Manor Street in Millersville. Photos by Alicia Ygarza
The explosion from the gas leak practically leveled The Framery on Manor Street in Millersville. Photos by Alicia Ygarza
