szachik@pvs.org, Author at the bird on fire

A Review of “This War of Mine”–Those Behind the War

April 5, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By James Zheng, Blogger & Gaming Critic

Are games just games? Are games just for entertainment? That’s what I used to think. But now I have a completely different answer ever since I found This War of Mine. People say that you can see the nature of yourself when you are playing games because your mind is fully involved in the gaming. This War of Mine (TWOM) is a reflection of yourself.

TWOM was developed and published by 11 Bit Studios, a game company located in Poland. It’s not a commonly known gaming company, and currently they have just reached about 100 employees, but this game was released five years ago. It was quickly nominated as the Game of the Year on Steam. I was impressed by this small but growing company.

Game critic Johnny Durn writes, “For soldiers, war is about victory. For us, war is about getting through.” TWOM is a realistic survival game. In this game, the background is set during a period of war, and you get to select a group of people to control in order to survive as long as you can in a shelter. Depending on the group, each character will have different abilities or professions–such as runner, scavenger, chief, etc., which determines their advantages and disadvantages. There are two time periods in the game. During the daytime, you get to organize everything in your shelter and make some useful tools. The most necessary thing to prepare is food for everyone, as well as making sure everyone has enough rest. During the night, characters have three actions to take: scavenge, sleep, or guard.

So, that’s a brief description of the gameplay. But why do I say TWOM is a reflection of yourself? Well… this game is really close to reality. Everything that could happen during a time of war in real life could happen in this game, but since most of us have never experienced a life in war, TWOM will give you a fresh taste of that.

More like a test of morality and humanity, this game exposes everything about war and tries its best to make the player become a part of it. In the game, your psychological state becomes the essential element. Many factors could lead to the collapse of your character’s psychological state; for example, they could become sad. When a player does not deal with this emotion properly, it will lead to negative actions and obstacles. For example, if a survivor steals private items from other shelters or kills someone, it could greatly affect their psychological state. But, here is something that could happen: food and medicines are important in this game, and they are extremely rare, so a player has to use them scrupulously. If the player is in a difficult survival situation and facing the choice to steal in order to save a teammate or kill someone in order to rob their shelter to keep your own shelter running, will you still adhere to your morality and humanity? Whether you choose to or not, your teammates will blame you for many reasons (survivors could start a quarrel or fight), and suddenly this builds pressure on you. However, there is never a right choice in this game since it’s a war after all, and you are either doing this for yourself or your team and you have to take the ultimate risk and pray for a good result.

The difficulty of this game is intermediate. Most of the time it depends on how many survivors you’re managing. Different from the common survival game, This War of Mine can really stress the player out because resources are so limited. A situation could become destitute any time, and there is always a dilemma in making decisions.

I STRONGLY suggest that you do not look at any walk-through to help you conquer this game. I want you to feel this game by yourself, completely. In the whole process of the game, you will learn many things that you could never learn from other games. It’s going to be a crucible for any player. The game borrows the words of Ernest Hemingway as its theme:

In the modern war, you will just die like a dog for no good reason.

Editor: AJ Patencio

Sources Reference: https://www.zhihu.com/question/26834036/answer/34292120

Scandal in the Universities

April 3, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Holden Hartle

Editor Hannah challenges bloggers to write on the topic of Conspiracy. Holden goes to the conspiracy in the news . . . the College Admissions Scandal!

As I’m sure most of you know, there has been a big scandal within some of the big name universities. Parents of high school seniors are bribing admissions officers in order to guarantee a spot for their child. In addition, there have been cases in which parents have bribed standardized test proctors to practically take the test for their children, ensuring that they get a higher score. There are even cases of parents bribing coaches of various universities in order for their child to get an admissions offer via fulfilling a team spot.

Before I become too subjective, let’s begin with the facts. Fifty students from six different states were guaranteed a spot into a big-name university due to bribes from their parents. These aren’t cheap bribes. Most of them are hundreds of thousands of dollars allocated towards a single individual. Note: this money isn’t going to a school. These weren’t donations to the university. If they were donations, the money could go towards constructing a new building or hiring more professors. Rather, hundreds of thousands of dollars were sent to admissions officers, proctors, and coaches.

Some of the colleges involved in the scandal include Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, University of San Diego, University of Texas, Wake Forest, and recently, University of California Irvine.

And now, to get subjective. If you are planning on applying to these universities, still apply. Though this scandal does put a bad name on the university, not the whole university is at fault. Rather, the bribed individuals should take the blame.

I interviewed Jake Mulé, who applied to UCLA, and asked him if this scandal was a big deal to him and if this scandal affected his perceptions of the school. He said that “it doesn’t deter me from the colleges I am looking at. The problem is within the system. It is hard to be what colleges want us to be. [Bribery] is how people are willing to get ahead.”

Most of the people I interviewed generally agree that the universities aren’t to blame. Asher Mai, who applied to UCLA, USC, and Stanford, said that “It’s not the university’s fault.” Amanda Laule agreed adding that “the universities should make sure their admissions officers aren’t accepting bribes.”

Personally, I agree with Jake that this scandal points out the obvious flaws in the college admissions system. I also agree that colleges should be more attentive to potential bribes that their admissions representatives and coaches may be receiving. But the whole conspiracy affects me on a more personal level. U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling, the prosecuting attorney, said that “for every student admitted through fraud, an honest and genuinely talented student was rejected.” From someone who has felt the pain of a rejection email, it is so difficult for me to watch these people have their path to college paid for by their parents, and at the same time, have to watch my talented friends get denied from their dream universities. And consider this: even though there are only fifty cases that have surfaced, this is something that has happened in years past, and something that doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon.

Conspiracy Editor: Hannah Hall

Mercury Retrograde–A Brief Explanation . . .

April 3, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Hannah Hall, Blogger and Extreme Amateur Astrologer

Astrology nerds everywhere blame their seasonal problems on Mercury in retrograde. Problems arise such as communication issues, being easily annoyed, or lack of focus. This blaming of Mercury Retrograde sometimes gets me rolling my eyes, but the general idea of this phenomena is interesting. Retrograde refers to a planet moving in reverse. A planet moving in reverse? What I found in my research is that this retrograde isn’t as wowing as it seems.

First, to put this into perspective, you know when you are in a car and the car next to you speeds up suddenly and it feels like you’re going in reverse? This situation is kind of like the Mercury Retrograde. Basically, both planets are obviously still moving forward, but the perspective that we have on Earth makes it seem like Mercury is going in reverse because the speed at which Mercury orbits is much faster than Earth’s. According to Emily Ridout, folklorist, astrologer, yogini, and writer of Mercury Retrograde: Why You Should Care, “In Astrology, when planets are in retrograde motion, it indicates that the energy of that planet is moving more inward. In our outward, achievement-oriented society, this can seem scary, but I assure you, it’s not.” So with all of that being said, why do we care about planets in retrograde? Most people get the misconception that with astrology, planetary movements dictate our actions and what we have to say and do. But this is wrong. Instead, we are supposed to take in account what is happening around us and take that energy and channnnneellllllllll it into your actions. Specifically during the Mercury Retrograde, our communication skills are affected adversely; this means anything between our speech to the thoughts in our head is affected. You see? This is why people are always buggin’ about the retrograde! It’s because communication is a basic aspect in each of our lives, and when an extraterrestrial body is supposedly dominating and hanging over our every move, a natural reaction would be to freak. But have no fear, even though you may or may not have a sudden loss of focus, or anything of that sort, astrology just suggests during this time you stick to familiar things and don’t start anything new; go easy on yourself; relax. Adventure after the retrograde is over. So continue doing yo’ thang and walk that walk and especially talk that talk.

One more thing: Mercury Retrograde happens multiple times a year! This year the retrogrades are March 5 through 28; July 7 through 31; and October 31 through November 20.

Disclaimer: I am no professional zodiac master. Try these additional sources for further information.

https://www.emilyridout.com/blog/mercury-retrograde

https://www.goalcast.com/2018/09/07/mercury-retrograde/

Everything You Need to Know About Mercury Retrograde

Don’t be a GAMER SHAMER

March 29, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Luke Langlois

This post is the first to come out of AJ’s week of editing, where the theme for posts is video games. In the following week, you will see more posts coming out in this theme as well.

When you hear the word “gamer,” what does your imagination picture? If my prediction is correct, it probably is not a pretty picture. Perhaps this “gamer” is in a room with closed blinds, no lights, and a locked door. Perhaps this gamer has untold quantities of empty soda cans sprawled out on the floor, not a bottle of water in sight. Perhaps this gamer’s keyboard is more dust than keyboard. This dust is not the typical brand of dust. No, it’s worse: Dorito dust. Whatever the picture may be, I’m sure it’s not positive. When industries rise, so do their critics. The rise of the gaming industry has followed this historical trend.

The term “gamer” does not carry a positive connotation; it is actually quite the opposite. Many media outlets are quick to jump the gun and mount an opposition against the newest gaming phenomenons, like “Fortnite,” calling them addicting, brain-melting, too violent, and detrimental to the overall health of the world. Gaming is almost always connected to being lazy or chronically unhealthy. But gaming should be recognized as a valid hobby, just like any other pastime such as golfing, moviegoing, fishing, or even knitting. After all, gaming is a juggernaut industry, and a “gamer” is not just someone who locks themselves in a dark room playing video games.

What would you consider to be the larger industry: movies or video games? Judging by the sheer influence that movies have on our popular culture, you might be guessing MOVIES! Indeed, the film industry pulls in large chunks of change. Last year, the international film industry pulled in a whopping forty-one billion dollars. That’s an impressive number. I personally would enjoy having forty billion dollars in my bank account. But, I would also enjoy having a bit more than double that amount. Oh, maybe ninety billion would be better? The gaming industry pulled in a bit more than that, at ninety billion dollars. That number represents the international revenue pulled in by the gaming industry. Not convinced that gaming is for more than just the hermit crabs of the world? GameSpot estimates, China has more people who play video games than the entire population of the United States. That’s over three hundred million people in just one nation who play video games. China is not the only video game haven; the United States has an estimated 211 million gamers (Variety).

Gaming is one of the premier hobbies of the world, and it should be recognized as such. There’s no reason to feel ashamed for really diving into a game, whether it be on your mobile device or your Xbox. Conversely, if you don’t play some type of video game, there’s no reason to spite those who do. After all, the non-gaming may soon be a global minority, if they aren’t already. Gaming is for everyone, and the numbers show it. So, don’t be a gamer shamer because gaming is not just a niche hobby anymore.

Fortnite may look goofy, but maybe it’s not so bad.

Editor: AJ Patencio

Sources

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2018/08/25/worlds-top-5-video-game-markets-generate-98-b-revenue-2018/37544189//

U.S. Film Industry Topped $43 Billion In Revenue Last Year, Study Finds, But It’s Not All Good News

https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/how-many-people-play-games-in-the-u-s-1202936332/

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-number-of-chinese-gamers-surpasses-the-number-of-american-citizens/1100-6419166/

Particular Parasols

March 28, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By AJ Patencio

Hello! Here in the Palm Springs area, we don’t get much rain throughout the year. Some people will say that this is all the more reason to buy a cheap umbrella that’ll last a year or two just to protect you when you have to go outside in the winter months. Others, like me, would say it’s all the more reason to treat it like a special occasion to buy a special umbrella. Not sure where to find one? Only see plain, boring, and questionable quality umbrellas at your local stores? No need to fret! You can find plenty umbrella options online!

https://www.umbrellaheaven.com/product/clear-dome-umbrella-manual-opening/

Ever want to show off your outfit despite pouring rain or relentless snow? Now you can! This clear dome-shaped umbrella will allow other people (or social media users) to see your wonderful outfit despite the bad weather! This umbrella also provides even more coverage due to its dome shape, which is possible due to the clear material that allows you to see your surroundings!

https://www.umbrellaheaven.com/product/big-top-umbrella-for-him-blue-and-white/

Do you love the aesthetic of large circus tents? Now you can bring it with you wherever you go! This Big Top umbrella resembles the blue-and-white tents you’d see when the circus rolls to town, and it matches the expectation of size due to being a golf-sized umbrella (which are larger than your typical umbrellas)!

https://www.umbrellaheaven.com/product/mini-max-compact-folding-umbrella-silver-uv/

Ever want a break from the sweltering heat of the sun and need a quick rest in the shade, but there’s no shade in sight? Don’t use any old umbrella, cuz the UV light from the sun is gonna pass right through the canopy and hit your skin! The white outer-canopy blocks and reflects the harmful UV rays of the sun, while the black inner-canopy absorbs UV light to protect you from stray rays that bounce off of the ground and would otherwise concentrate onto your face after bouncing off the inside of the white UV-reflective canopy!

https://www.pasottiombrelli.com/en/women-luxury-umbrellas/blue-swarovski-umbrella-double-cloth/pr-1694

The second most expensive umbrella I could find, this blue beauty costs around $570 USD. It’s made of a double-cloth 100% polyester satin weave, and has Swarovski crystals in the canopy and handle. The stunning fade of dark to light blue in the canopy gives a dazzling contrast to the white Swarovski gems.

https://www.pasottiombrelli.com/en/women-luxury-umbrellas/189-5d557-1-luxury-swarovski-bee-umbrella/pr-1848

The most expensive umbrella I could find costing around $600 USD, this beauty has a double-cloth canopy with a brass handle and Swarovski crystals. The outer cloth is a dark forest green while the inner cloth is a floral-butterfly pattern. Both fabrics are a 100% polyester satin weave. The handle has a wonderfully crafted brass bee with Swarovski crystals.

Editor: Overlord Susie Zachik

Me and You

March 25, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Former Blogger Jeremy Cheng has taken up poetry. He shares here his poetic thoughts on “Me and You”–in both simplified Chinese and English.

By Jeremy Cheng

你是星辰，

我是大海。

你将你最亮的一颗星给我，

我把我无边无际的爱给你。

You are the bright stars,

And I am the ocean.

You give the most shining star to me,

And I give my boundless love to you.

月亮被嚼碎了变成了星星

你就藏在那满天的星光里

The moon was chewed and became stars,

And you hide within the sky full of starlight.

Editor: James Zheng

Review of Anime Charlotte

March 22, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By James Zheng

Charlotte was an anime that was first planned by two Japanese companies, Key and ANIPLEX, and finally released by P. A. Work. The script and characters were designed by a well-known writer named Maeda Jun. He already had plenty of outstanding works which are usually categorized as “moving” and “affecting.”

Within Charlotte’s story, in a fictional world where superpower holders exist, the hero thought he was the only superpower possessor and abused his power for his own purpose. When he encounters the heroine, his fate was changed.

(This paragraph may contain some spoilers.) Charlotte is absolutely one of the best animes, and I strongly recommend it, but I want to give it a fair review. The initial part is very interesting and novel; the first episode attracts a lot of audience attention due to the superpower motif. However, I can say that the setting is just okay. The figure of the hero is too “conventional” and too much like the characters you can see in every anime. There seems to be no creativity in the hero’s personality, value, appearance, etc. In addition, the type of anime that sets school as a stage is too common. To make it particular or special, a writer and director has to put extra effort into designing characters and script. Plus, those early episodes give the audience a sense that it is going to be a story about daily life and then suddenly it jumps to a completely different topic; then, people are confused. I am not criticizing its quality, but I am sure that the director is rushing the story, which does crucial damage to Charlotte. Officials also announced that Maeda Jun’s scripts are too massive and need to be cut down a lot, which could explain why the storyline has such problems. It actually took them a long time to make thirteen episodes. What I’ve always believed is that it will be better to split a season into two seasons rather than to rush the plot.

Let me sum it up.

The storyline in later episodes feels scrawled; Maeda Jun puts the focus on the end rather than at the beginning; he was expecting to make a “boom” to the audience. But, he failed at this attempt. He puts his own affection into it, but the audience does not feel it. Well… even though he failed at this attempt, that does not mean the anime is awful or he is a terrible writer. My recommendation remains for Charlotte: see it. The only flaw that Charlotte has is the unreasonably rushed storyline. The characterization, for the most part, is extraordinary, and Charlotte creates a compelling story due to the efforts from character voice actors. There are transformations of plot in the later story which may seem too sudden and unnecessary, but without those details, the whole story would be completely flat.

Watching anime has the same property as admiring artwork. I would not just see how the surface is bright and ignore connotation inside the story. I was quite upset to see how anime critics throw negative comments at Charlotte. At the same time, I was also glad that I was one of the few people who could really understand Charlotte.

The story of Charlotte is not ordinary.

Editor: AJ Patencio

Education: Is it Brainwashing?

March 22, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Luke Langlois

Welcome to Editor Hannah Hall’s Conspiracy-Themed Week. Luke, below, is being satirical. Of course, he loves the College Board and all teachers.

Dearest readers of the blog, it is time to WAKE UP! It has come to my attention that there is a grand conspiracy that deeply, greatly, severely affects each and every one of us. Schools are beacons of brainwashing. If the government wanted to instill a certain set of values or ideas in the next generation, what would be the best way to do it? Would it be propaganda posters? Would it be a top-secret kidnapping program? The answer to both of these is, as you may have anticipated, no. The best way for the government to have its iron fist control the generation of the future is through the education system, through our teachers.

Teachers are one of the first authority figures we encounter in our lives. From very early ages we are taught to respect teachers and learn from what they have to say. As young children, we do not know any better than to absolutely accept this logic. Herein lies the problem. From this point on, teachers are fully capable of being the conductors of our poor, impressionable brains. The government is well aware of this fact and uses it to their advantage. Have you ever heard of the “Common Core State Standards Initiative”? This is an educational (BRAINWASHING!!!) initiative that sets the national standards for what students should know at the end of each school year. If schools are shown to have underperforming students, they are penalized. Unfortunately, this 2010 initiative managed to slip by our speculative goggles. Common core is the government’s way of controlling the teachers on a massive and undetectable scale. Quite frankly, it is the perfect crime. Teachers are unified under one curriculum to create a single mind. And, don’t even get me started on the College Board!

Here’s the bottom line: this systematic brainwashing causes us all to have artificial thoughts and ideas. None of us are our true and natural selves because of the specifically engineered influence from schools. We are all brainwashed to some degree. Who knows, perhaps you and I would be completely different people if it were not for this “education” system. Regardless of your allegiances, KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS OPEN!

Editor: Hannah Hall

‘Sup, Beaches

March 21, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By Blog Beachcomber Hannah Hall

“Let’s go to the beach, each, let’s go get away”–Nicki Minaj

You know what has water? Beaches! As we explore the aquatic life this week, let’s explore beaches. Here–according to Hannah– are seven of the most beautiful beaches around the world to go and visit.

Giants Causeway Beach – Ireland

You may not want to take a dip in this beach of cliffs, but it definitely is a sight to see! The waters crash up against basalt columns of all sizes.

Hidden Beach – The Marieta Islands by Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

This “beach” isn’t just any beach. It’s a giant hole. It was formed by a bomb while the Mexican military was testing bombs down by the coast–just 20th-century things. To make this “holey” beach an even cooler spot, you get here by walking through a water tunnel!

Pink Sands Beach – Harbour Island, Bahamas

The title of this beach pretty much gives it away….the sand is pink! This is a pretty hot tourist attraction, so watch out for those flashing cameras!

Anse Source d’Argent – La Digue, Republic of Seychelles

Imagine a water-smoothed rock. See these rocks washing up on the shore basking in the sun. Now, blow the imagined size up 100 times. Here, at Anse Source d’Argent, you will be surrounded by tall stones draped with bright green trees beside crystal clear waters.

Benagil Sea Cave Beach – Algarve, Portugal

Yes, this beach is THAT beach. On Instagram, I know I see this beach pop up on my feed alllllll summer long. To get to the water, you will enter hollow caves with holes on the top that are just big enough to see the clear skies and to let the warm sun in.

Whitehaven Beach – Whitsunday Island, Australia

This beach looks like clouds sitting just under water. This is because the sand is white and made of 90% pure silica. You will need to travel here by boat, but ditch the sandals because this sand doesn’t retain heat.

Bioluminescent Beach – Vaadhoo, Maldives

Washing up onto this shore at night might feel like swimming with little fireflies. But, no. The shimmering light is actually caused by bioluminescent phytoplankton. The best time to see these blue little lights is during the months of July to February.

Editor: Luke Langlois

Sources:

https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/best-beaches-in-the-world

https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2016-04-19/the-most-beautiful-pink-sand-beaches-in-the-world

15 Of The Most Exotic Beaches In The World

fishes: a-z

March 20, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Makena Behnke, who may learn to swim with the fishes

since this week’s theme is fish, or rather aquatic, i’m giving you a very nice list of fish. if you’re like me, you don’t know much about fish, but you think they’re pretty cool. there are so many different types of fish with different colors, sizes, and breeds. here is an a-z list of fish:

alligator gar. this swimmer is particularly scary-looking, very dinosaur-esque. usually found in the southern US in rivers, reservoirs, and bays.
blue tilapia. this one is probably my favorite fish on this list. it’s just so pretty. found in mainly Florida.
cobia. this fish weighs an average of a whopping eighty-two pounds and is about the length of a grown man’s wingspan. found in the Virginia area and throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
discus. this fish is properly named seeing as it is shaped like a disc. also known as the king of the aquarium fish. found in the Amazon River basin.
eagle ray. a more interesting-looking ray than the usual grey/silver-ish ray. found in New Zealand bays and rocky reefs.
flounder. no, not the blue and yellow fish from The Little Mermaid. the arrowtooth flounder is found in northeast Pacific Ocean.
gag grouper. found from North Carolina to Brazil. they like to feed on round scad, sardines, porgies, crabs, shrimp, and squid.
hogfish. found from Canada to northern South America in coral reefs. they are also protogynous hermaphrodites.
indian glassfish. staying true to its name of “glassfish,” this fish is transparent. found in mainly South Asian waters.
jarbydy. found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, they’re omnivorous and are big fans of small fish.
knobbed porgy. found from North Carolina to southern Florida. they grace the waters with their silver body and a red tint.
lemon tetra. found in South America, they feed on worms and crustaceans.
mudskipper. found in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. these guys are easy to catch and fun to play around with (according to Makena and her “personal experience”).
northern hog sucker. found in the Great Lake area. it sucks up snails and insects, hence the name sucker.
opaline gourami. found in Southeast Asia. lives in lowland wetlands, marshy and swampy areas.
pomfret. found all across the Pacific Ocean. they stay close to the surface of the water, and they’re rarely caught inshore.
quillfish. found in the North Pacific. they’re found at the surface at night and burrow in the sand during the day.
redbreast acara. found in Central American waters. they prefer more stagnant waters.
swordsnout grenadier. found in the Western-Center of the Atlantic and the Eastern Atlantic. they feed on crustaceans and small fish.
tapar. found in European and Asian waters. they inhabit large rivers and freshwater lakes.
uaru. found in South America. they feed on crustaceans and small fish, but eat plants to get their nutrients.
vermilion snapper. found from the western Atlantic to southeastern Brazil. the adults prefer deep water and rocky bottoms.
wahoo. found from New Jersey to Columbia. they travel in loose groups of fish rather than compact schools.
x-ray tetra. found in South America. they feed on worms and small fish.
yellow cichlid. found in lower river valleys in Central America.
zander. found in Europe and Asia. they inhabit brackish lakes and rivers.

Sources

www.wideopenspaces.com

http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/fish-finder

https://www.fishbase.de/search.php

https://thewebsiteofeverything.com/animals/fish/

https://www.thesprucepets.com/

Editor: Luke Langlois