Pulaski News High School Edition

What is Google Play?

Rachel Vesco — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:09:12 +0000

You may have noticed a new feature on Google Chrome recently Called Google Play. Google Play was released earlier this March and is the new version of the Android Market.

Google Play is an online store for music, movies, Android apps and games and a cloud media player. The store is accessible from the web and Play Store, a mobile app for Android phones and Google T.V.’s . According to Google, the store has over 450,000 apps available worldwide for download from the device or the web.

The applications are filtered by the user’s device and may be further filtered by the mobile carrier. Filtering means some data may be unavailable to users without the capability to view or use it. For paid apps refunds can be given within 15 minutes of the purchase.

Google Play is virtually identical to the Apple App Store. Google Play has a featured section, a top app section and movie rentals. All of these features are available through the Apple store for Apple products. The new store for Android users provides more options for downloads.

Google Play, not to be confused with the Chrome Web Store, is specifically for Android and Google devices. The Chrome Web store is also an online store from Google that offers free or paid apps for your Google Chrome browser. These apps vary from games to business tools.

by Matt Zey

DNR Walleye Warnings

Rachel Vesco — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:07:24 +0000

Lately the walleye have been running in the wolf river. The wolf river has been extremely busy with all sorts of fishing boats trying to catch the walleye.

The DNR has been out checking people for their fishing license and checking their fish to make sure that no fish were caught by getting snagged. The DNR will check to see if there is a hole or a spot by the mouth where the walleye was hooked. If they find that the fish was hooked elsewhere like in the stomach or the back then you will get a citation and have to throw back the fish. If you accidentally snag a fish you must throw it back right away. That’s why the DNR will fine you if you keep it illegally.

When fishing on a river an anchor is a must. A strong current is always working against you and your boat making fishing more of a challenge. Once you hit a good spot to stop and fish it is sometimes impossible to stop your boat from moving with the strong current of the river. It is what makes it fun.

Be careful out on the river, be sure to wear your life jackets. Have fun and catch some fish.

-by Cody Kropp and Tyler Bebow

Summer 2012: Full of Twang and Rock

Rachel Vesco — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:55:29 +0000

With summer on the way and teens getting ready for the classic “School’s Out For Summer” to be played over the intercom, it’s high time for hard core partying, the right way.

Summer is the most well known time of the year for music festivals, such as Country and Rock USA events in Oshkosh, and the famous HoDag of Rhinelander.

Rock USA is a very popular festival held at the Ford Festival park in Oshkosh,right smack dab in the middle of July on the 12th and 14th.

Rock USA is place for the true rockers to show their stuff. With heavy metal band MÖTLEY CRÜE, SHINEDOWN, KID ROCk and many more this eccentric music festival is sure to rack up the money with tickets at $89 in advance and $139 at the door.

Wondering what concerts to attend this summer, the 35th annual HoDag festival is a great follow up to Country USA.

The first headliner performs on July 12th, and the festivities continue to the 15th. Some of the big namers this year are Jake Owen on the 12th, Trace Adkins and Craig Morgan on the 13th,Eric Church, Justin Moore, and Lee Brice on the 14th, and wrapping it all up is Neal McCoy, Chris Young, and Jerrod Niemann on the 15th. The 35th annual HoDag is held in Rhinelander Wisconsin. Tickets are available online. One day tickets are $65, two day tickets are $120, and nine day tickets are $130. Ticket prices vary for children.
This concert is a great time, filled with personable people and a outgoing atmosphere that will keep you coming back for more. Even if you’re not into the music that they play, it’s a good way to enjoy some summer festivities. For more information go to http://www.hodag.com/, http://rockusaoshkosh.com/news.cfm,or http://countryusaoshkosh.com/

Looking to get in-shape this spring?

Rachel Vesco — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:30:59 +0000

Lots of people talk about getting in shape for the upcoming summer months, but most people can never follow through. A great way to stick with your goals is by being involved in a class at your local gym. The YMCA is a local gym that you can visit at almost any time of the day, and has tons of classes throughout the day to choose from.

From yoga to Line Dancing to kayaking, they’ve got it all. If you’re looking to build muscle and just feel better about your self, TRX and Intensity X are a couple of classes you’ve got to try. They have classes for everyone in all types of fitness levels. Here are just a few classes that the YMCA offers: yoga, Group TRX, Intensity X, Line Dancing, Teen Gymnastics, Adult Swim classes, Red Cross Lifeguard Training, kayaking and so much more! A way to find more classes like these is to visit there website http://www.greenbayymca.org/.

The YMCA isn’t the only place that offers these types of programs, Gold’s Gym, Anytime Fitness and Title Town Fitness are just a couple local gyms throughout the area. So get out there and stick with your weight loss goals this season.

-by Teri Lewins

What to do this spring?

Rachel Vesco — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:07:47 +0000

Have you been thinking about what to do after all the snow is gone? Has spring fever set in yet? If not, I have a few ideas for you to get the season started right!

What a better way start your spring than with a new wardrobe! Almost every department store in America agrees: it’s a great time to try on those old clothes and shuffle through the ones that don’t make the list this season. Online is always a fun and fast way to see what’s out there and what’s new, take a look at some of these stores for the latest fashion- Macy’s, American Eagle, Kohl’s or Younkers.

Another way to get into the spirit is just by going outside. Get away from the stuffy indoors, plan a picnic, go for a walk: do something! Outdoors are a great place to express emotions and have a fun time being with friends and family or just a place to think and reflect on the day. Some great spring activities are: Baseball/softball, golf, soccer, etc.

Lastly, try something new. Whether it’s a new recipe, meeting new people, or just doing something a little different in your day, make a change. Start as if the year was just beginning. Don’t let another spring/summer season go by, don’t waste another minute! So what are you waiting for?

- by Teri Lewins

In the hot seat: Jury Duty at 18

Rachel Vesco — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:05:46 +0000

Most teenagers these days all do the same thing. They’re out having fun and hanging with friends, playing COD, or watching Lady Gaga create more interesting outfits. Not many teenagers can say that while on a school day, they were serving their civil duty as a court juror in a civil case court trial.

I, however, can say that.

It was a month after my 18th birthday and I had received a congratulatory letter saying that I was now eligible to be a juror. Greaaaat…

I know what you’re thinking, “that’s WAY too young!” You couldn’t be more wrong. Once you turn 18, you are now a legal adult and will be treated like any other adult no matter what the age. In a four month time period, I had received four letters from the Oconto county Clerk of Courts, two of them were summons to show up.

“They certainly weren’t wasting any time with this,” said Brian Mayer, my father. “Her 20 year old sister and 30 year old brother have never been selected, nor have they received their congratulatory letter.” Strange, is it not?

Lucky for me, my first summons was called off; however, my second one, scheduled for the 21st of February, was not. I was so nervous and mad that I had to miss school! Yes, a teenager, mad about missing school, indeed they do exist. I went that day to the Oconto Clerk of Courts Office in Oconto Falls and was even lucky enough to get picked to be on the final jury.

There was about 25 of us sitting in a small room. The Bailiff called us into the court room and the clerk sitting next to the judge started calling off our names. Crossing my fingers hoping I wouldn’t get picked until all of the sudden “Mallory Mayer? Mallory Mayer.” CRAP! First thought on my mind was “are you serious?! I’m 18 for Pete’s sake! Naive!” But, sucking it up I grabbed my purse and headed to the jury box along with 12 other people.

As if being up there in the “hot seat” as I like to call it, wasn’t bad enough, the judge then started a game of 20 questions with us, literally. Do you know this person? How about this person? Are you related to this person? How about this one? This one? CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? HOW ABOUT NOW? Ok so maybe not the last two… but after the judge knew my personal life inside and out he felt I was more then qualified to make the “final cut” of this jury.

After the court room had been cleared out, the trial finally began. Dun dun DUN! Each attorney came up and gave their opening statements, which basically focused why we, the jury, should rule in their favor. Once opening statements were given, each attorney had the opportunity to call upon witnesses and begin yet another round of 20 questions. After going through about 6 witnesses and hearing OBJECTION this and OBJECTION that for about 3 hours, the judge finally ruled that it was lunchtime and that the Bailiff’s were taking us out to a Chinese Buffet, for FREE! The food was delicious and it was a great time to get to know the other jurors.

After we returned to the court house, the trial began again with about 2-3 more witnesses and then each side, plaintiff and defendant, gave their closing statements. Then it was the jury’s turn to deliberate and come up with a verdict, the determination on whether the defendant is Guilty, or Not Guilty. THAT part took only…ohhh about 5 minutes.

Finally, after an 8 hour trial, the verdict was given and we were able to talk to the judge one on one and we were finally able to go home.
Many citizens to whatever they can to get out of jury duty, which is sad.

Not only do you get PAID to do this, but you get to meet some great peole, get free food, and an extremely fascinating experience. I can tell you this much, all your crime shows such as, CSI, Law and Order, NCIS, etc, REAL jury duty is NOTHING like that. It’s more serious and a lot morre interesting. I was proud to be able to serve my civil duty as a Juror for the Oconto County courthouse.

-by Mallory Mayer

Will Linsanity continue?

Rachel Vesco — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:01:40 +0000

Anybody who watches ESPN, or any other sports broadcast for that matter, has heard of the Linsanity going on in the NBA. Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks has taken everybody by surprise the past couple of weeks.Lin has made it look easy, as if he was a seasoned vet.

Lin has played in the (D) or development league of the NBA for a couple of years now. He was drafted to the Knicks because of some injuries. The coaches noticed Lin’s good work ethic and ball handling skills, and moved him to the starting line up.

Ever since Lin has been putting baskets up left and right averaging 15 points per game, but the real question is, will this linsanity continue?In most situations like this the flame burns out, and early signs of this are already prevalent. He is showing signs of fatigue and fallibility. However Lin is still playing well.

Other teams become aware of his techniques and adapt to them, which is why it is called the NBA, and it also why the players get payed so much. It is unfortunate that all star players like Lin can’t stay hot for long but, a lot of people saw this coming.

If you would like to see Lin Play he is coming to the Bradley center on March 9th, when he and his team play the Bucks.

-by Trevor Mueller

Vehicles of the future?

Rachel Vesco — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:25:47 +0000

With the recent focus on “going green” auto manufactures have to adapt to stay with the times. Vehicle manufactures like Chevrolet, Nissan, Lexus, Toyota and many others are leading the way.

All of these manufactures have electric options on a vehicle. Whether its gas and electric like the Chevy Volt or the all electric option with the Nissan Leaf. But are you really going to get the same performance out of an electric car and will it solve our dependence on foreign oil?

Most of these options still rely on some type of fossil fuel. Most electric cars run on battery until it is depleted and then it goes to its standard backup-a fuel tank. That’s right back to our present problem of foreign oil dependence.

But now Nissan says that they have the solution. They call their solution the Nissan LEAF. It is 100 percent electric and produces zero emissions. Its battery is promised to run 100 miles on a single charge.

But is this going to save you, the consumer, any money? You will have no gas bill, but your electric bill will go up exponentially. It doesn’t have a considerable loss in power either. The LEAF tops out at around 90 miles an hour and goes 0-60mph in 7 seconds. The acceleration is very good because it is incredibly lightweight.

So does Nissan have the answer? I don’t know. But it is a step in the right direction with weaning off our dependence on gas.

-By Adam Styczynski

The Hunger Games book review

Rachel Vesco — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:21:37 +0000

North America has been destroyed and the government now oppresses its people in this post-world war thriller. Now only 12 districts categorized by wealth inhabit the continent. Katniss Everdeen is a 16 year-old girl who lives in a poverty-stricken District 12 with her younger sister Primrose “Prim” and mother.

Each year the governmental “Capitol” holds “The Hunger Games” in which 24 tributes, a boy and girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district, are chosen to participate and fight to the death in a formulated battle field in order to remind the people of its 12 districts of the power the “Capitol” has attained. After Prim is chosen as tribute for District 12, Katniss must volunteer to take her young sisters spot in the death arena in order to protect her.

Now only a treacherous arena and 23 other competitors lay in Katniss Everdeen’s future. Katniss has one shot at living, and that is to kill each of the other 23 competitors and be named victor of the games.

Suzanne Collins effectively interests readers with its post-apocalyptic type world and only intensifies the plot from start to finish. This book is filled with moral hardship, constant action and endless nerve-wracking tension. At no point of this book will one find him or herself bored because the book truly climaxes from page to page with no time to feel anything, but worry and excitement.

This book captures the true essence of a possible future of North American. No matter how insanely far-off this possibility could be, it truly succeeds in capturing the readers full attention. Without a doubt this book provides an interesting plot and never allows the reader to lose interest. The games allow for an enthralling plot while allowing the reader to make personal connections to a world that no one person can relate to physically, but solely emotionally.

All aspects of this book received a 10 star rating on a 10 star scale due to its immense action and interesting characters as well as a plot that is nearly incomparable to any other book ever written.

-by Sam Schwartz

“The Vow” Preview

Rachel Vesco — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:26:41 +0000

The movie The Vow comes out on Friday February 10, 2012 and is being shown at Bay Park Cinema along with other multiple theaters. With lead actress Rachel McAdams from The Notebook and lead actor Channing Tatum from Dear John; a heart breaking story that you know is going to touch everyone is one way or another- this is a real winner

The movie is about a woman (Rachel McAdams) who is so madly in love with her husband (Channing Tatum) that no one can describe their love. When a tragic accident takes away five years of her life and replaces it with the last memory when she was engaged to ex-fiancé Jeremy, one question remains: will she ever remember her husband and the adoring love that they shared? And will she ever love her husband the way that she use too?

It’s a good way to get out for a few hours, and what better way to spend a Friday night than watching Channing Tatum on the big screen with Rachel McAdams, I know I’m going to be there!

Click here to see a preview!

-by Teri Lewins