PS3 vs. Xbox360

Almost all kids own some sort of game console. Right now the Xbox360 and the PS3 are the two main competitors. So, I want to figure out which one is better. I want one of these products because my old PS3 broke and I want something I can watch movies on and play games when I'm bored. Plus, it is entertaining to have some video games on a rainy day. I found a comparison chart by google searching “comparison chart Xbox360 vs. PS3” and found a website called wuup.co.uk. Which game system is the best?

What a lot of people don’t know is that while the Xbox and the PS3 are very different they have many similarities as well. The Xbox360 has 3 USB ports while the PS3 has only 2 but some older models have 4. Both have audio, video, and DVD/CD playback. The Play Station 3 has built in Bluray and the Xbox has an external HD drive via USB. Both can copy media to HDD but the Xbox can only copy audio via disk drive whereas the PS3 can copy audio and video from a flash drive or network. Both consoles have a messaging system and a voice chat and both have online play although while the PS3 just lets you play online, with the Xbox you have to have a gold Xbox live subscription.

A good hard drive is really important with game consoles. Both hard drives are upgradable. If you buy a PS3, the hard drive can range anywhere from 40 GB to 160 GB before its upgraded. The Xbox ranges from 20GB to 120GB before it’s upgraded. The PS3’s hard drive can be upgraded to 500GB and the Xbox’s hard drive can be upgraded to 120GB. The Play Station 3 has an internal power supply whereas the Xbox360 has an external power supply. Both have a wireless and an Ethernet connection, but only the Play Station 3 has a web browser.

When it comes to actually playing games, the PS3 has a motion sensor while the Xbox’s is sold separately. Both have a home guide button and triggers. But the PlayStation has more pressure sensitive buttons than the Xbox. They both come with a charge cable and have a PC connection. Both have a friends list and both have an avatar creator. With the Xbox you have to have an avatar whereas with the PS3 you don’t. They both have custom made themes but the Xbox doesn’t let the user make themes while the Play Station does. Both have an online store and both have download-able content. The main thing most people look at when they shop for a game console is the price. Luckily the Xbox and Play Station are in pretty much the same range. The PS3 can range from $200-$350 while the Xbox ranges from $200-$300.

Overall I think I like the Play Station 3 better. I really don’t need an extra USB port or HD gaming. The PlayStation 3 has more GB, free Internet, user-made themes, web browser, and blu-ray so it’s better for movies. To me it sounds like the extra $50 is kinda worth it. Plus, I'm more familiar with a PlayStation controler than a Xbox controler.

Fablehaven and The Hunger Games Reviews

Fablehaven

Fabelhaven by Brandon Mull has been a very popular book lately. Probably because most kids are more into fantasy fiction books now days and this series has quite a bit of action mixed in as well. The characters were well written as well. Some had a happy ending and others not so much which just draws the readers attention into the book even more. How amazing was this book?

Pacing of a book is important. Honestly a book will bore me if the pacing is too slow or if it just keeps the same pace the whole book. In Fabelhaven the pacing speeds up and slows down, unfortunately I thought the author sped up and slowed down at the wrong times. Whenever the book would begin to get exciting and the action part would come into play the book would speed up and that part would be over about as quick as it started. Of course then the book slows down while the characters are plotting out what to do. Because of this pacing the book wasn’t very suspenseful, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t outstanding. The author did a brilliant job narrating the story other than the pacing and he was very descriptive with his characters and settings.

Plot lines are what makes a book really popular or really bad. In this case it made the book really vibrant. The plot kept you wanting to know what happened next. It wasn’t suspenseful but once you picked it up the book was hard to put down. I hate it when you’re reading a book and around halfway through you figure out what the main problem is and you already know how the book is going to end and how the main characters will solve their problem. In this book you can’t do that. You can think it through and maybe guess what they will do but you won’t completely know until the end of the book. This book has a lot of mythological creatures in it. It definitely would fall under a fiction/fantasy category which I love.

Out of five stars I give it a 4.5. I think that the book was really satisfying and I'd recommend it to anybody who likes those fiction/fantasy books like I do. There were only about 200 pages in it so it was kinda short but I still think it was a really reputable book.






The Hunger Games


What would it be like where you live in a world that kills you if your name is drawn from a bucket? That’s exactly what The Hunger Games is like. Of course, you have a chance to .live but at the cost of others lives. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is about a girl who’s name gets drawn to participate in the games. The question is will she make it out alive? How captivating was this book?


Without a plot there is no story. The plot in The Hunger Games was really suspenseful. This book will definitely keep you wanting to read the rest of the book after about a chapter. The way Collins wrote everything was astonishing. She described practically everything so excellently that I could easily see what was going on in my head. The characters were all very vividly described. You could tell exactly what they looked like thanks to Collins.

The Hunger Games didn’t have much to do with fantasy but it could sort of be called a fiction book. Because it was set as an example of what might happen in the future if we don’t change. But of course, its all made up because no one is foolish enough to create a world like theirs.So it’s more a fiction book.

Over all i give this book a 4.9 out of 5 stars because it was really captivating. I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone.

Technology Post

I have an iPod touch that i use a lot for music and games. I dropped it once and it cracked and somebody cracked it even more and its really slow and old so i want a new one. I have 3 t.v's in my house. a Nintendo d.s. and a game boy and a playstation2 and 3 but our p.s. 3 broke. And i have a DVD player and a play station portable and a Wii. my parents have two cell phones and i never really use any of it. Oh, and i have a radio which is the only thing i use besides my iPod. The rest nobody uses anymore because its really old and boring now.

In ten years anything could happen like, every kid just has like iPads the size of like a regular notebook and they use that to write on and turn in essay's and study and stuff and in 50 years i have no idea what technology will be like but since i'll probably be alive in 50 years i'll find out then.

-No Title Yet- Character Sketch

When i hear the word friend Maya immediately comes to mind. Maya and i either completely disagree or completely agree with each other on everything. There’s no in-between for us. I remember when i was asked to run the score board for my sisters volleyball game and so i agreed and went and sat down to wait for the game to start. while i was waiting a certain dark reddish haired person came and sat next to because she got bored.There were flies everywhere in the gym and about halfway through the game she just randomly reached over and slapped me in the on my arm really hard. Usually i expect this from Maya because it is apparently her way of showing somebody they are her friend (because shes a little crazy) but since i was caught up in the score and paying attention to the game i was totally caught off guard. She said there was a fly on me for her excuse to slap me. So i waited for about five minutes and then i reached over and slapped her back except i hit her on the head when i said there was a fly. of course when i took my hand away and saw there actually was a fly and i squashed it in her hair i started laughing and she got grossed out which made me laugh harder which got her to laugh too. then she took my caramel apple and ate it... :P

Limeric Poems

Large Spanish Dog

There once a dog from Spain.
All the while he hoped to be a Great Dane.
So he stretched himself out
But began to pout.
Because he soon shrunk again.


Cold OompalOompa's

I once met an oompaloompa from Wonderland.
Everyday she dreamed of Iceland.
So i sent her on a ship.
Where she ate lots of chips.
She is now living happily in Iceland.

Slave Found Poem "People Not Property"

Sad they had no furniture
Dozens of slaves in one small hut
Only wooden floors to lay their heads
Only a collection of straw and rags if there were a bed
A single blanket to keep them warm
Always worried their cotton would fall short
But never wanting to pick more than they should
For they must pick that much next day or else be whipped
Never chose or kept their own name
Only whites have the power to pick
Their religion taught 'Never Strike A White Man'
Withe servants watching they had no chance
Lie to your master and try to escape
If you're caught you get whipped or hung
What a slave thought was right was wrong
Whites had rights slaves had none
Slaves are property not people...
No slaves are people not property.

Response to 'I know why the caged bird sings' poem

I think the poem ‘I know why a caged bird sings’ by Maya Angelou is explaining the difference between life when your free and life when your caged or trapped. I think that in some ways this poem may be about slavery because she is explaining how the free bird just goes with the wind and tries to find a big worm the next morning whereas the caged bird has clipped wings so he cant leave and his feet are tied so instead he sings, sings of freedom so she says. I think it may relate to slavery because the free bird would resemble free slaves or maybe even whites who don’t need to worry much, they just need to make sure they have enough to survive, whereas slaves were chained, locked up, sad, they cant leave, their feet are tied, much like the caged bird so instead they sing... they would sing about freedom. What life would be like if they were no longer slaves. It would make sense that Maya Angelou would write about free and caged birds or slaves because she was African American, so she could be writing about her ancestors or maybe even herself.

Monster Poem

Crazy Rodents Things...

It rolls around like a psycho pig

Trying to get as much dust on its cotton like coat as it can

Its razor sharp knife like claws grasping at the air as it turns

Its rat like teeth chewing on nothing

She stops... waits... then begins to roll around again as crazy as a hyenas laughter

Her coat getting shiner and more deadly as she goes

With dust flying everywhere she slowly, carefully steps out

Her claws cutting up the metal as if it were as soft as whipped cream

She suddenly bursts into a jumping sprint and is by her food before you know it

She slowly picks up her food with her cat like claws and tears it as she goes

Stuffing into her mouth like she hasn’t eaten in days

Ripping it to shreds with her dagger like teeth

She then appears back by her house in her house in her house

She slowly crawls in scraping the plastic

And falls asleep in light speed

Langston Hughes Response to A Dream Deferred

The poem A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes is comparing a raisin to a Deferred Dream. He is showing how a lot of people tend to give up on their dreams and after a while those dreams just shrivle up and dissapear and those people never think of them again. He is trying to say to stick with your dream and don't give up on it.

6th v.s. poem

Nice pretty sparkly against war Candy Land
V.S.
Dark mean war loving A.M.S. Alpha


A.M.S. Alpha is an under ground war area created by Morgan.

5th vs poem

Warm awakening bright cheery sun v.s. dark cold sleepy grumpy moon.

4th vs poem

Happy warm joyful inviting light
v.s.
Angry cold deadly non-inviting darkness

3rd vs poem

Pinkish purple magical flying unicorns
v.s.
Greenish Black fire breathing dragon

Abstract Noun Poems

Happiness is a gorgeous warm sunset on a soft warm beach at low tide.
Sadness is a smelly gross un burried dead pet on a rainy gloomy depressing day.
Friendship is like a never ending book with twists and turns on every page.
Hatred is a fire deep in yourself that you let out every now and then.
Knowledge is like and old book with faded pages and restored pages.
Humor is a friend who wont stop laughing while your trying to type your poems.

2nd MAGNETIC POEM

There once was a wild woman who secretly swam deep.

The woman didn’t make a peep.

She soon found she couldn’t move.

And so she stayed there, with fish poo.

Magnetic Poetry

Laughing Free Trees

Your Tree Is Free It Is Laughing In The Breeze.

VS POEM

ACTIVENESS VS LAZINESS

V.S. POEM

Healthy,

Fit,

Fun,

Playfull,

Activeness

v.s.

Non-Healthy,

Un-Fit,

Not fun,

Non-Playful,

                                                                                                                                    Lazieness

Water V.S. Fire

 V.s. poem

By: Alanna Dolan

Hot, Destructive,

Hurtful, Burning

Fire

v.s.

Cool, Destructive,

Warm, Peaceful

Water

History Paper

The beginning of a new life... Oregon Trail

Alanna Dolan

2-15-11

In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson said in a letter to Merriwhether Lewis... “ The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri River...by its course and communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean...most direct and practicable water communication across this continent...” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail) What he said was, he wanted Lewis and Clark to explore the west, and find the most direct route to the Pacific Ocean by river as possible. The Oregon Trail is one of the best passageways to the west coast, and still is today.

   
        The Lewis and Clark expedition was one of the most important expeditions on the Oregon trail. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson, told Merriwether Lewis, the object of his mission. Many people who were traveling the Oregon trail stopped and settled down to start businesses or become farmers, or something. Not until 1859 did they create a direct and practicable route-The Mullan Road- that connected the Missouri River to the Columbia River,even though Lewis and Clark found a path as well.

    There were many different people who traveled the Oregon trail, some of the most well known are... Merriwether Lewis, William Clark, John Jacob Astor, and many more. But there was one woman who’s story stood out of all the others because of this womans courage and determination to stay alive through the winter and make it to Oregon.  That story belongs to Janette Riker. ‘A Woman Alone’.
‘Janette Riker was on her way to Oregon with her father and two brothers. They were in Montana - it was September 1894 - and the men went off hunting. They never returned. Riker was on her own. She knew she couldn't cross the mountains alone and winter was coming, so she took tools from the wagon and built a hut for herself. Then she put the wagons stove inside, along with provisions, and blankets, and a load of firewood she had chopped. Because she had no meat, she killed an ox, butchered and salted it, and prepared for Montana’s long cold winter. It soon came. Wolves and mountain lions sniffed outside her shelter, but she didn’t budge from the hut until a spring thaw flooded her out, then she moved back into the wagon. Finally, Indians found her and were so astonished that she had survived on her own that they took her west where she wanted to go.’ That’s one reason why that story stood out to me. It proves that even though all a woman was supposed to do back then was clean and cook, it proved that she could build herself a house to last for months and kill and harvest a buffalo, and survive the entire winter without dying. She was very brave compared to what some woman would have done.

    There are many different historical sites on the Oregon Trail, for example, in Oregon one could go to Grande Ronde, The Dalles, Oregon City, or Barlow Road, all of these are historical sites that people still visit today. There are some all across the country, like the Whitman Mission in Washington, or Fort Boise or Devils Gate, in Wyoming. Devils Gate was popular because there were good camping grounds, good grass, food and water. Fort Boise was famous for its frontier hospitality, entertaining and supplying travelers and traders until the mid 1850’s when it was closed because of Indian hostilities. Whitman Mission was named after Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and was used just as a rest stop for travelers passing by.  

   

Before the Europeans, over 180000 natives in about 125 different tribes lived in Oregon. The Oregon trail is one of the most important transportation routes in  American history. All the pioneers traveled in wagon  trains,  no pioneer ever traveled alone. The trail was around 2170 miles long. Somewhere between 250,000 and 650,000 people traveled the Oregon Trail but only one third of them were immigrating to Oregon, another third was immigrating to Utah, Colorado, and Montana and the other third to California, the first immigrant to make the trip in 1836 from New York was Marcus and Narcissa Whitman both were born in New York and they left for Oregon in 1835 together.

A lot of people said a lot of things while they were traveling the Oregon trail but here are some of the most important... “No other race of men with the means at their command would undertake so great a journey, none save these could successfully preform it, with no previous preparation, relying only on the fertility of their own invention to devise the means to overcome each danger and difficulty as it arose. They have undertaken to preform with slow moving oxen a journey of 2000 miles. The way lies over trackless wastes, wide and deep rivers ragged and lofty mountains, and is beset with hostile savages.” Jesse Applegate 1843

“It is 4am the sentiles on duty have discharged their rifle-the signal that the hours of sleep are over; and every wagon and tent is pouring forth its night.” Jesse Applegate 1843

Jesse Applegate was an American pioneer who lead a large group of settlers along the Oregon trail.

“Clark saw Sacajawea who was with her husband 100 yards ahead began to dance and show every mark of the most extravagant joy, turning round him and pointing to several Indians, whom he now saw advancing on horseback sucking her fingers at thee same time to indicate that they were of her native tribe... Clark and Lewis soon after met with the Chief, after this the conference was to be opened, and glad of an opportunity of being able to converse more intelligently Sacajawea was sent for; she came into the tent, sat down, and was beginning to interpret when in the person of Cameahwait she recognized her brother; she instantly jumped up, and ran and embraced him, throwing over him her blanket and weeping profusely; the chief was himself moved, though not in the same degree. After some conversation between then she resumed her seat, and attempted to interpret for us but, her new situation seemed to overpower her, and she was frequently interrupted by her tears.” Anonymous

The previous quote was just to show one what Lewis and Clark saw and delt with while they were on the Oregon Trail.

The next quote will show a little about what some people did while traveling the trail. Often people would stop and buy stores and build houses or buy a store and leave soon after so they still get money from other pioneers in wagon trains yet they still make it to their destination.

    “ After working in small parties in the Salt Lake region, the trappers gathered for RENDEZVOUS at nearby Cache (Willow) Valley with Louis Vaquez and James Clyman, Henry g Fraeb, Daniel t Potts, and many others. after rendezvous, Jedediah smith, David Jackson, and William Sublette bought out Ashley's interest in their partner ship and formed a new partner ship.” 1826 Unknown
    “The smith Jackson Sublette partnership caravan from St. Louis to Wind River region for summer rendezvous in 1830, was the first train of wagons to travel up the Platte River Trail. The caravan included 10 wagons, two dearborns and 81 men.some historical narratives call this expedition THE OPENING OF THE OREGON TRAIL.” 1830 Unknown
    That last quote was a journal entry about when the first wagons traveled up the Platte River Trail.
   

Here is an Oregon Trail Timeline to show one what happened during the years the Trail was used: 1841:The Bidwell Bartleson party led 100 farmers and families to California but some left the party and head to Oregon. 1842: Emigrants later used many of the guidebooks written by Dr. Elijah Whites party of 200 people. 1843: Jesse Applegate was inspired to forge a new route into Oregon after his misfortune on the Columbia River. 1844: 2000 farmers, mechanics, lawyers, and merchants are brought by four major wagon trains, one party each leaves Independence, Westport, St.Joseph, and Bellevue (near Council Buffs.) 1845: Stephen Meek got his party lost in the desert and yet he still beat Sam Barlow to the Dalles. 1846: A slow year, only about 1000 immigrants headed to Oregon and California this year. 1847: Brigham young leads the Mormon Brigade to Utah opening a new destination... by this time there were over 2000 souls on the trail.  

One of the most tragic stories on the Oregon trail was the Donner party story. In this wagon train made up of twenty wagons included George Donner, his wife Tamsen, his five children, a family friend John Denton and, many more. ‘The Donner Party left Independence, Missouri, May 1846 heading for Sutters Fort. they followed the Oregon trail until,  on the 28th of July,  they reached Fort Bridger. When they arrived Lansford Hastings was trying to persuade people to go the Hastings cutoff way instead... insisting it would remove 300 miles from sutters fort. They had to cross the Wasatch mountains, round the great salt lake to the south, then due west before returning to the main trail. He said they could find water after 24 hours of walking through the desert, even though it would really take 48 hours of walking. He said that 3 wagon trains had already taken his route. The Donner party was already making poor time and they had to cross the Sierra Nevada before snowfall. So they took the shortcut. They left July 31st and got out of Echo Canyon on August 6th. What took them 7 days should’ve only taken 4 days according to Hastings. Hastings left them a letter saying that they should send someone ahead to find him and ask him to show them the way, but when they found him and asked him for directions he refused to tell them. Instead he drew them a rough map. They entered the Wasatch Mountains on August 12th. They now realized they were in trouble because it was August 24th. They reached Pilot Peak on September 8th and they reached the main trail on September 30th. The other wagon trains were already in California. The party crossed the desert and reached Truckee Lake near the end of October. When they reached within 3 miles of the summit they were blocked by 5 feet snow drifts. They had to return to Sutters Fort, but they were blocked. They built camp, and were short, very short, on food. In those next 2 weeks they were only able to kill a bear, an owl, a coyote, and a squirrel. If they stayed they would die of starvation. They were finally able to cross the mountains, but while they were crossing they got snowed in and eventually had to resort to cannibalism. on December 25th they began to cook Patrick Dolan’s arms and legs. On December 30th the party set off again but the weather beat them and they had to make camp again. They had no more food so the group  decided to murder Luis and Salvador, the two Indian guides but, a man named Eddy was against that, so he secretly told Luis and Salvador and they left that night. Soon Eddy was able to kill a deer but that was all and another man died supplying food for the rest of them. The next day they found Luis and Salvador dying and Eddy couldn't stop a man named William Foster from killing them for meat. This made Eddy angry so he split up with the group and a couple of wagons went with him. Eddys group soon reached their destination while someone was sent back to find the rest of them. eventually they reached a ten foot deep trail of snow and they once again had to resort to cannibalism to survive but eventually they made it. The Donner party was the worst disaster in wagon train history. 42 immigrants and 2 Indian guides had died but the remaining 47 travelers survived.

When Thomas Jefferson told Lewis and Clark to explore the Missouri river and discover the Pacific, I don’t think he realized how big that exploration would be later on in history. That led to the Oregon trail which led to settlers coming and moving over here to California and Oregon which later led to all the people who are living here now typing essays about the Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail is one of the most common passageways that leads from the east coast to the west coast and it still is today.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS:

Hakim, Joy. A History Of Us: Liberty For All. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. , 2005

Stefoff, Rebecca. The Oregon Trail. New Jersey: Enslow Publishers Inc., 1997

WEBSITES:

http://www.nps.gov/oreg/index.htm NPS.GOV: OREGON

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oreghttp WIKIPEDIA: OREGON TRAIL

http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/Discoverers.html THE ORGEON TRAIL: DISCOVERES AND EXPLORERS

http://www.frontiertrails.com/oldwest/oregontrail.htm FRONTEIR TRAILS OF THE OLD WEST: THE OREGON TRAIL

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/whitman.htm NEWS PERSPECTIVES ON THE WEST: MARCUS AND NARCISSA WHITMAN

http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/Sites.html THE OREGON TRAIL: HISTORIC SITES

http://books.google.com/books?id=PwlP_btsPtsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=History+of+the+Oregon+Trail&hl=en&ei=rtgsTeLfBoLGsAOgo-inBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=History%20of%20the%20Oregon%20Trail&f=false
OREGON TRAIL STORIES: TRUE ACCOUNTS OF LIFE IN A COVERED WAGON
http://www.42explore2.com/oregon.htm THE TOPIC: OREGON TRAIL

http://www.octa-trails.org/learn/people_places/articles_chronology.php THE OREGON TRAIL GENERATION (1841-1866)

http://www.americanwest.com/trails/pages/oretrail.htm THE OREGON TRAIL

http://www.roadtripusa.com/routes/oregontrail/idaho/or_parma.html ROAD TRIP USA: PARMA AND FORT BOISE

http://www.theheroesclub.org/lewis_clark_sacagawea.php THE REAL HEROES CLUB: LEWIS & CLARK & SACAJAWEA

http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/Hardships.html THE OREGON TRAIL: HARDSHIPS

http://www.eg.bucknell.edu/~hyde/jackson/OregonTrail.html INFORMATION ON THE OREGON TRAIL

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WWdonnerP.htm SPARTACUS EDUCATIONAL: DONNER PARTY