April 1, 2024
Two giants of the internet, KSI and Logan Paul–once rivals and now allies – have teamed up to revive the energy drink market with a powerhouse concoction, named Prime.
What is Prime?
Prime is originally a hydration drink that was made for athletes, It claims to be better than the ‘traditional sports drinks’ by only having 2 grams of sugar and a lot of electrolytes. They also specialize in taste, and I can tell you most of the flavors taste very good. Logan Paul has also compared Prime to the market leaders Gatorade, Bottle to Bottle and Prime of course came out as the better choice according to the video.
Why did Prime blow up?
Logan Paul and KSI, The YouTubers they are, went all out for Prime. It's a massive hit in both US and UK markets and it has led to chaotic scenes at supermarkets as everyone wants to get their hands on a bottle or a pack of Prime. The two have marketed Prime so much that everyone knows about it. They also made a mindset that drinking Prime is cool and that attracted children. The low supply and very high demand made Prime blow up and made it expensive with every other YouTuber talking about it.
Sponsorship of Prime and Barcelona football club- https://football.justbartanews.com/57856/
KSI and Logan Paul have been using their contacts and have bagged a sponsorship deal from 3 football giant clubs, Barcelona, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich. Their deal with Barca is supposed to last for 10 years. These super deals will help Prime with publicity, and income, and help to set a strong future for them.
How expensive was/is Prime
When prime was launched, people went crazy , including youtubers. The people who got their hands over Prime were lucky and some were even reselling it for outrageous prices, some sellers sold one bottle of prime for more than 100 usd/ 5,600php, some even auctioned Prime, prices reaching more than 200 usd/11,175php when it was launched. Now the situations have calmed down and one bottle will cost 2-4 usd and 5-10 usd on ebay.
Prime in the Philippines
Even after going crazy viral, Prime is in the Philippines, you can get it at S&R, however it is very rare. I got it on my 5th visit and it cost 145 Php for Prime hydration and 125 php for Prime energy. Most of them do taste good but I would not recommend Grape flavored prime. It tastes like medicine. It may be surprising but getting Prime for 145 Php/2 British pounds is super duper cheap. On eBay and Amazon a single bottle of Prime costs at least 10 us dollars or 550 Php.
Prime hydration sticks
After seeing the success of the hydration drink, KSI and Logan Paul decided to launch something as hydration+ which are hydration sticks that will make prime after mixing the powder with water. This allowed Prime to reach more people, making it cheaper and more convenient for everybody.
Prime hydration sticks/hydration+ Taken from-https://drinkprime.com/
Prime has sold over 1 billion bottles all over the world in the past 2 years which is a great feat. Overall, Prime has taken the hydration and energy market by storm and it continues to grow.
By: Sawyer G.
March 6th, 2024
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a full-scale assault that has since catapulted into a war going on for over two years. The war has gained a lot of attention over these two years, primarily in the form of Ukraine’s pleas for aid or allegations against Russia. However, many people don’t know how long this conflict's history goes back and the deeper reasons behind Russia’s invasion. The enmity between Russia and Ukraine goes back a little more than two years.
To truly understand the complex politics and history behind Russia’s 2022 invasion, we must look at Ukraine’s history, which can be traced back to the Kievan Rus principality. Kievan Rus was formed by vikings in the 9th century and encompassed modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, and parts of western Russia. It was the first great Slavic civilization and at the time was the largest kingdom in Europe. As a result, many modern-day Ukrainians, Russians, and Belarussians trace their heritage to the Kievan Rus. This triggers intense debate over which people were truly in control during the span of the Kievan Rus, even today. Russian political expert, Yoshiko Herrera remarked on this feud by saying that “Ukraine was once part of Russia, or Russia once part of Ukraine.”
Then, in the year 1240, Ukraine’s definitive subjugation began with the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus. According to History.com, Mongol general, Batu Khan ravaged Eastern Europe and captured many major cities, including Kiev. Subsequently, modern Ukraine became part of the Mongol Empire before it was even established as a nation or land.
Ukraine's subjugation continued, however, as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the Mongols in 1363 and incorporated much of Ukraine into its territory.
This was followed by centuries of conflict in the region between Ivan III’s Muscovy (early Russia), the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Ottoman Empire, Cossack rebels, and their allies, Crimean Tatar mercenaries. Until a peace treaty in 1667, Ukrainian lands saw nothing but chaos and war in a period known as ‘The Ruin.’ According to History.com, Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth signed a truce in 1667 that split Ukraine along the Dnieper River without the involvement of the autonomous Cossacks.
By 1795, Russia had gained control of nearly all of modern-day Ukraine, and Poland-Lithuania had dissolved into several weaker, smaller nations. A few decades later in 1812, Napoleon invaded the Russian Empire and devastated Ukraine in his conquest, only to be recaptured quickly by Russia. The short-lived invasion did, however, spark revolutionary and nationalist movements in Ukraine throughout the 1800’s. According to History.com, this developed into civil war, short-lived independence, and subjugation by the newly established Soviet Union in the 1900’s.
Ukraine was invaded by Nazi Germany during WWII. Still, after the USSR regained control, Ukraine was a communist sub-nation dithering under one-party rule until it finally gained true independence for the first time in its entire history in 1991.
So, the ancient history of Ukraine is long and filled with subjugation from higher powers. In today’s world, Ukraine seems to be facing this same problem with Russia’s invasion. But how does this deep history connect to the war?
In a sentence, Russian President, Vladimir Putin sees Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia as one people. According to Ronald Suny, a historian and professor, Putin believes that all three nationalities are bound together by the history outlined earlier in this article.
While there is a basis for this belief, Putin has stated that “Russians and Ukrainians are one people, a single whole,” and he is using it as a reasonable explanation for his invasion of the sovereign nation. Putin has, in fact, challenged the sovereignty of Ukraine, pinning it as the result of poor decisions by former Soviet leaders. He also mentioned his belief that the Ukrainians ought to be friendly towards Russia, not hostile; despite the aggressive invasion.
The war is about Putin, he wanted the invasion and he got it. Political expert, Mark Galeotti explained in an interview with Vox that “... It’s not about Russia. It’s about Putin. And it’s about this small circle of people around him who dominate this country. If you look at them, they are essentially the last gasp of Soviet elites.” Galeotti outlines what Putin wants and what he is doing. He and his inner circle are looking for power and a place in history through the control of Ukraine. Then, they are trying to justify the invasion with historical evidence and claiming that the two people are one.
But where will this go? What will happen to the Ukrainian people? What are the Kremlin’s greater goals?
For the most part, only time will tell. But foreign aid for Ukraine is fading and, despite initial embarrassment, Russia is gaining ground. Ukrainian victory is slipping farther out of grasp. If Russia wins, they will most likely annex the entirety of Ukraine and gain effective control of Belarus. With that power, Putin’s inner circle could set in motion other plans currently unknown.
As for Putin, Bradley Bowman, the senior director of a military and political research institute, says, “We know that Putin views the collapse of the Soviet Union as a disaster, we know he resents the success of NATO. … He sees himself as kind of a neo-czar who would like to reconstitute as much of the Soviet Union as possible.”
Looking back into the history of Eastern Europe and the motives being Putin’s ‘special military operation,’ the invasion of February 24, 2022 is far more significant than it was before. A Second Soviet Union could even start to emerge against NATO.
Maybe.
By: Vivienne L.
April 1st, 2024
Middle School course selection is hugely important for all grade levels. Students are always excited to choose what electives they could possibly take, whether it be a year round elective such as an instrument or a semester long elective. One of the most popular choices is Innovation Tech for seventh and eighth grade students. While this offers a variety of units such as photoshop, coding, and printing, it also has a small time for movie making. The students taking this class are able to create short films under certain conditions and restrictions such as guidelines like 4-shot, mood movies, etc. But as much as this small unit offers, many students have wondered why MS doesn’t have a film class.
Students from all grades hear about how fun the film classes in High School are, even myself. My brother had the chance to do film last year, he talked about how fun it was and the films he made. They watch the creations of high school students with interest and wonder. However, they never have been able to have experienced the process properly themselves. While Innovation Tech does have a film unit, many 7th and 8th grade students wish to have a film class as an elective.
“I think they should allow a film elective so students can start early and build their experience in order to get a head start for when they actually do it in High School,” One girl, who currently takes Innovation Tech, said about the topic.
Our students are affected later in life by the classes they take. Their skills vary on whether they took one class or the other. Offering a film class expands students' expertise, preparing them for the class in high school, and later in life helping the growth and development of their film abilities. Whether they want to be a filmmaker, such as commercials, movies, or short films, and even becoming an actor.
By: Uono L.
March 6, 2024
Full box, 200! At least that’s what the Fortnite players say when they build a box around someone and then kill them with one shot to the head. Fortnite is the most developed and popular third person shooter game today. From using hand-eye coordination to quick thinking, everybody can connect to Fortnite. First of all, what is Fortnite? Fortnite, released in 2017, is a 3rd person shooter game by Epic Games. While Call of Duty and other First Person Shooter games have been taking over at this point, Fortnite, something new and unique, people started getting attracted to it. Also, while Call of Duty is not free to play, Fortnite is one of the still popular games that are free to play. That developed a huge connection between it and humanity, giving gamers a chance to play a shooter game without any memberships or mandatory payments. You only need to pay if you want to buy their currency, V-Bucks, to buy cool skins, pickaxes, gliders, wraps, emotes, or the Battle Pass, a reward system for leveling up.
Second, Fortnite is a game that promotes creativity, team building, and hand-eye coordination. According to hisawyer.com, “Fortnite isn’t just a goofy video-game shooter. It also has a Creative sandbox mode in which users can create their own custom maps and game modes. This mode has the potential to encourage creativity and teach problem-solving and engineering skills just like Minecraft and Roblox. Kids can use it to build crazy structures and objects and even develop other kinds of games within Fortnite.”
Also, according to Tijn te Slaa, “Fortnite gives me something else to do besides school and sports. It helps me focus and also gives me a better aim. Finally, as a football player, Fortnite’s team Battle Royale mode helps me with playing in a team.”
Third, Fortnite uses a beautiful display that increases engagement unlike Call of Duty. It is highly fictitious, using guns that might not exist in real life. Because of this, it doesn’t boost violence. The death animation also has no blood.
Instead, they use a Spawn Drone. It sucks you up when you die, making it healthy for younger ages.
Furthermore, the game isn’t over when you die. You can get rebooted at the reboot truck. It helps kids not rage. Fortnite is a beautiful game. It helps people in a lot of ways, such as creativity, team-building, a fun activity to commit to, free-to-play, hand-eye coordination, and anger management. So, if you play Fortnite, you’re experiencing a lot of benefits. However, if you don’t, hop on now!
Ivana M.
March 20, 2024
When I was 11, I walked into the Jordan store in the Highstreet. All my friends in my class had Jordans but me. I know I was only 11 and would grow out of it but I will never forget that day I ran into the store jumping with excitement. I’ve been saving all my birthday and Christmas money to buy a new pair of Jordans. The second I stepped into the store I had my eyes on these gorgeous neon pink and yellow Jordan 4s. As I ran over to the shoes to show my Mom, I saw this other girl about my age who grabbed it first. “Mom, she took my shoe,” I yelled. I showed my Mom the girl who stole my shoe. I looked around the store, watching all the kids at the checkout counter with big smiles getting their dream shoes. My mom walked over to the girl with my shoes and she asked if we could just borrow the shoes to ask for my size. The girl handed my mom the shoes. She looked like she was going to cry. That's how I felt when she grabbed my shoes. My Mom asked the saleswoman for my size, but she said they were out of stock. I wondered, “What’s so attractive about Jordans that everyone wants them?” Once I reached home, I began to research the brand.
“Who created the most famous shoe in the world?” I wondered to myself, later uncovering that Peter Moor was eager to design a sneaker for gravity-defying newcomer NBA star Micheal Jordan in 1895. They were first worn by the Chicago Bulls' rookie basketball star Michael Jordan in 1984. Jordans was finally released to the public before the end of the NBA season in the spring of 1985.
Everyone desired a pair of Air Jordans.
"The Air Jordan transformed the industry by turning sneakers into objects of pop-culture desire," sneaker expert and writer Brendan Dunne, co-host of "The Complex Sneakers Podcast," told Fox News Digital. Nike Jordans sold 450,000 pairs of shoes in just the first month. It’s insane that 2022 roughly 60 million pairs of Jordans were produced. “The first Air Jordan set the standard for footwear obsession in America.” Brendan Dunne, sneaker podcast. There are 37 Air Jordan stores worldwide. The store is so popular that you must get it before the door opens. Manila has a reservation service where customers can pick a specific time slot and day to visit the store. According to World Trade, the resale value of the original Jordan 1s can range anywhere from $3,500 - $25,000. The sneaker resale market was estimated to generate $2 Billion in 2019 and could reach $30 Billion globally by 2030. A considerable amount of people are willing to pay for a premium price or limited edition Jordans. Air Jordans is very money-making for people who understand the sneaker resale market.
I lay in my bed thinking. What if I never get my dream Jordans? “Ivana I have a surprise for you!” My Mom hollers. I bolted out of my room and sprinted down the stairs.
“What is it, Mom!” I yell. “The lady from the Jordans store just called and said that have one last pair of the Lemon Venom Pink Blast.” My mom and I ran straight to the car to pick up my dream shoes.
Favour K.
March 20, 2023
I sat down sketching my heart away in my old art book. Everything was so bland, that I attempted to tap some rhythm in my pencil so that perhaps a sketch idea would harmonize with my mind…but so far there were only crickets! I grabbed my bag and ruffled inside in search of my phone and once I had it, I opened my favorite app in the world… Tiktok.
Facing an insufferable art block, I decided the best way to get inspired was to find a song. In less than a few seconds, I fell into a loop of endlessly scrolling on TikTok. I scrolled and scrolled till my fingers turned numb, but then a miracle happened. The light from my screen went from bland colors to a ray of blue bursting on my face, and the image of a girl appeared, sitting on the ledge of a diving board.
The image reminded me of Princess Diana's iconic diving board photo. I slowly started to sway back and forth, the beats feeling the inspiration slowly taking over. The next thing I knew, I was sketching my heart away! “What album is this song from?” I wondered. Later, this led to me opening the comment section that answered my question. The album was called “SOS”.
You may be wondering who created the SOS album. To answer this question, I present to you none other than SZA (Solána Imani Rowe), an American R&B singer-songwriter born on November 8, 1989, in St. Louis, Missouri. She later moved to Maplewood, New Jersey where she grew up. SZA’s personality is introspective and reflective, taking time to process her emotions before communicating them with others. SZA is also recognized for her empathy towards others, constantly conveying a sense of understanding and compassion through her lyrics.
During The 66th annual Grammy Awards ceremony on Monday, February 5, 2024, Lizzo slowly opened the envelope for the best R&B song of 2024. Suspense engulfed the audience, the moment to uncover who obtained the best R&B song. The nominees were SZA for her song "Snooze", Victoria Monét for "On My Mama", Coco Jones for "ICU", Robert Glasper Featuring SiR & Alex Isley for "Back to Love", and lastly Halle for "Angel". The tension was high.
Lizzo broke the silence with a gasp of joy and announced the winner “Solána Imani Rowe, SZA”. The crowd erupts with claps, joyful cheers, and dancing as “Snooze” plays in the background. SZA gracefully walked onto the stage and embraced Lizzo in a hug. Lizzo then bestowed the Grammy award to SZA, who has been her friend since 2013. This was truly wondrous considering SOS is SZA’s first-ever No.1 Album, making the moment well deserved. SZA then catches her breath and provides the audience with her appreciation speech.
The name choice of SOS is threefold. The Morse code definition of SOS, which most people are familiar with, is “save our ship” or “save our souls”. Nonetheless, SOS is a cry for help, the other two justifications originated from SZA’s names. Her stage name is derived from the letters of the Supreme alphabet which gives the letter S the definition of Self and Savior. Outside of her stage persona, her friends call her by the nickname Sous so listeners can justify how they interpret the title “SOS”.
In addition, the cover references a 1997 photo of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a similar pose aboard a recreation craft. Furthermore, during an interview, SZA states “I usually can tell what I’m hiding from myself or in general,” she then talks about the album’s lyricism.
“Whether it’s embarrassment about my ex, whether it’s shame, whether it’s insecurity, whatever it is…. Maybe that’s the only way that I’m not bored is to do, like, bizarre acts of self-embarrassment.” She went on in-depth about the several recording challenges she faced during the recordings of SOS this is because SOS is inspired by SZA’s departure from attempting to be a nice girl.
In addition, during an interview, SZA said: “I don’t want to be soft because bad things happened to me when I was soft, that acceptance of like yeah I'm not a nice girl, I'll never be syrupy sweet, that's not the way that god designed me…I’m just me and that is okay”. This idea of no longer wanting to be soft can be perceived in her song ‘Low’ where the lyrics state “But these ******* in my business got me outchea choosin' violence” meaning SZA no longer wants to react as if she is nonchalant when someone does something that provokes her.
Overall, SOS caught the attention of multiple celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Issa Rae, Erykah Badu, Jessie Reyes, Chance The Rapper, and Dj Khaled who have all spoken kindly about the album. Issa Rae stated, “Thank you for this album, girl!” therefore you should listen to SOS since according to the user “itsbennyblanco” posted “SZA is all our therapists I swear.” Her journey of a thousand miles began with one step.
