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‘Sup, Beaches

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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

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Installment #2 in our Aquatic Theme: What can be found in the deep blue sea? I don’t know. But, James does. –Aquatic Theme Editor Luke

By James Zheng

The ocean is probably one of the most mysterious places on the Earth since it’s a place humans still have not entirely explored. There are hundreds of examples of the mysteries of the ocean. And, some of them have a reasonable explanation, but some ocean mysteries remain elusive. In this post, I am going to introduce three of the strangest mysteries within the ocean.

No.1 Devil’s Sea:

This is also known as the Dragon’s Triangle. Like the Bermuda Triangle in the Atlantic Ocean, this is a similar triangular area in the Western Pacific Ocean off of the east coast of southern Tokyo in Japan. To get here, go south along the southeast of the Pacific Ocean at about 145 degrees east, then turn west-southwest; pass through the Ogasawara Islands, and then return to the Tokyo Bay of Japan along the northeast, which forms this triangle. There are many mysterious disappearances of ships and planes here. They left without a trace. What happens is that all radio contacts are abruptly interrupted when vessels approach this triangular area, and the ships that are lost have no wreckage that can be found afterwards. There is even more news that spreads that horrifies people: one marine radio center received the message from a ship saying, “The sky is open!” right before they lost radio contact. Over-exaggerated? Who knows?

No.2 Atlantis:

There are still so many myths related to Atlantis, one of the most mysterious ancient civilizations. It was said that the ancient Greek God Poseidon created this civilization. Some scientists say that Atlantis does exist, and that it was a real civilization thousands of years ago. Modern science has found that before the great floods (an unprecedented and destructive global flood happened a long time ago) there may have been a continent that was the most highly developed civilization on the Earth. In this global disaster, the continent sank into the Atlantic Ocean. Following this catastrophe, a large-scale earthquake and tsunami caused further damage. As a result, vestigial volcanic ashes covered the entire Mediterranean region in darkness for weeks. The earthquake is rumored to have been more powerful than 4,000 atomic bombs. For nearly a century, archaeologists have also claimed that they have found relics of this prehistoric civilization on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, which seems to confirm the hypothesis of Atlantis. So, where did the name come from? The name was initially given by Plato, and it is the name still used nowadays for this unknown civilization. In 2011, an archaeological team claimed that they had located Atlantis beneath the mudbank of southern Spain. In December 2013, a submerged pyramid of Atlantis was discovered in the western sea area of Portugal. It was possibly recognized as a relic of Atlantis. But, nevertheless, the existence of Atlantis is still a question mark.


No.3 The depth of the ocean

There is never an accurate answer given to say how deep the ocean is. It is way more complicated than you probably think. Humans may think that they have explored the ocean enough to know the Earth deeply, but among the vast Pacific Ocean, we might have just explored five percent of the deepest part. There is an estimation taken by scientists that the ocean might be ninety thousand meters deep; however, nobody has ever reached that deep and it is just an assumption after all. The maximum depth that humans have reached is 10,916 meters. Unfortunately, we have trouble going deeper. The water pressure will get more and more intense as you reach the bottom. Unless we have diving suits or a submarine that has an extremely strong endurance to the water pressure, the diver would certainly be killed by the overwhelming water pressure. One last thing: sunlight cannot reach the deep ocean. Human eyes cannot see anything and the creatures around there may be dreadfully unforgiving…

Sites Referenced

https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%AD%94%E6%B5%B7%E9%BE%99%E4%B8%89%E8%A7%92/15795153?fr=aladdin
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%BA%9A%E7%89%B9%E5%85%B0%E8%92%82%E6%96%AF/6238?fr=aladdin
https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1576299103450316638&wfr=spider&for=pc

Editor: Luke Langlois

https://www.thebirdonfire.org/2019/03/14/3383/

Werewolf–One of the Best Modern Party Games

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By James Zheng, Master Game Player & Blogger

What games do you usually play for entertaining a party? Normal answers will come out: Uno, Cards Against Humanity, Mario Kart, Blackjack, etc. We’ve played those games a thousand times. All of them are really popular but common, so common they bore you as you play them over and over again. There is an amazing game which would definitely bring up the atmosphere in a party.

The Werewolf game is really similar to a classic party game called the Mafia (Werewolf is actually generated from the Mafia game). They have the exact same setting on some points; however, the Werewolf game is more fun than the Mafia! Originally, when you look up the Werewolf game online, there is only the American style, which is also the initial version of Werewolf. When it spread to China, this game became truly popular and players added more contents to it. So, please notice that all the things I show you are partially generated from the Chinese-style Werewolf game.

Required factors to play the game include six to fifteen players and role cards. Ten or twelve is the best amount. This game must have a moderator during the whole game to direct the procedure. The role cards are decided by players according to the number of participants.

Gameplay part 1–There are two teams in the Werewolf game; humans and werewolves (which also applies to the innocent and the mafia in The Mafia). The Werewolf team has to kill all the humans while all the humans need to banish the werewolves. To achieve their goal, werewolves have to pretend to be the humans to avoid being banished so that they can eliminate as many humans as they can. In the same way, the humans have to find all the werewolves based on the flaws in their statements or any other factors.

Game setting–Everyone should get a role card before they start, and the moderator must be ready, then the game will begin on the first night. There are two rounds in the game, which refer to the night and the morning. Night is always before morning; it will keep rotating until the game is finished. An essential part of the game, during the night, is that the moderator has to tell everyone to close their eyes and remain absolutely quiet. The Lord card (a card which gives players special skills) and the werewolves’ card holders will be called by the moderator to take their action. Werewolves have to decide to slay a player every night. When it comes to the morning, the player who is killed during the night will be out of the game. Then, each of the players need to speak their thoughts individually. The time limit for speaking (30 seconds, 60 seconds, etc.) should be decided before the game begins. After everyone finishes their statement, they have to vote to eliminate a player. Then the player who gets the most votes will be out of the game as well; this movement is called banish.   

Role cards

  • Villager, belongs to the human team. They do not have special abilities, but they have to listen to everyone’s words, find the werewolves, and be active in voting to banish them in the morning.
  • Werewolf, belongs to the werewolf team. They will be called by the moderator, “Werewolves, please open/close your eyes” before/after they take action. Werewolves usually have 20 seconds to point at their target. During the morning, they need to act like humans and mislead them to banish other players beside themselves.
  • Seer, the Lord card belongs to the human team. When Seer is called by the moderator, he can see one person’s role (he can only identify whether that person is a human or a werewolf, so he does not know if that person is holding a Lord card or not).
  • Witch, this Lord card belongs to the human team. Witch is holding a cure and a poison. When called by moderator, he can only take one action each night. He can use a cure to revive a player who was slain by a werewolf or use poison to kill one player. Witch only has one cure and one poison.
  • Guardian, this Lord card belongs to the human team. When called by the moderator, Guardian can protect a player (including himself) from being killed by a werewolf. But, he cannot protect the same player twice in a row. By the way, the poison used by the Witch can penetrate the Guardian’s shield.
  • Hunter, this Lord card belongs to the human team. The Hunter can eliminate one player after he is dead. The only moment he cannot use his skill is when he is eliminated by poison from the Witch. When called by the moderator, the moderator will tell him if he can use his skill or not–based on whether he was poisoned or not.

Further tips and details

  • The player who is banished or out of the game in the first night will still have a chance to speak.
  • Only the werewolves know who their teammates are. Humans don’t know who their teammates are. And werewolves can say that they are human, and normally mask as villagers (since there are at least two or four villagers, it is hard to know which one is fraud).
  • To find the werewolf or to suspect someone, try to treat this game as a psychological game. If you find someone too nervous or too feeble, they might hold a werewolf card. Or, if you find someone who is speaking too much or too little, they will be questionable. You can always take a guess at everyone’s card according to their statement.
  • The core of this game is the Seer because nobody knows who other players are except the Seer. Only the Seer and werewolves have the ability to lead the teams. And the Seer has to share his or her information on the first day.
  • Each player has to be brave to speak out their opinion and tell others their identity, and be active in voting.

The Werewolf game is my best recommendation ever. It’s a very social game because you have to speak and communicate with each other to collaborate during the whole game. It’s also a really casual game to play with friends!

Editor: Makena Behnke

The Three Best Villains in Anime

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By James Zheng, Blog Anime Correspondent

Most anime reviewers or watchers hardly ever talk about villains. Speaking of villains, the majority of us are under the impression that they deserve the audience’s hatred all the time. But, we never get to know them deeply or even analyze them from several aspects. You might ask the question, “Why do we need to know these villains?” Well, to make a great heroic figure or a whole anime that earns popularity, a villain actually plays an indispensable role.

No.1 “Akatsuki (Dawn)” from Naruto: The ten dreams of human beings

Akatsuki is not a single character. It’s one of the most powerful organizations in Naruto. Each member in Akatsuki represents a dream of humanity (peace, friendship, love, power, etc.). However, the Akatsuki didn’t start out representing peace, friendship, love, etc. In the beginning of the anime, every single character had a goal to destroy every independent country. There were so many fans that hated them at the beginning because fans bought into the concept that any villain would be the “bad guy” forever. When the Naruto Company dedicated episodes to introducing the Akatsuki background, the Akatsuki gradually gained sympathy and popularity from the audience. However, plenty of fans said that “their Naruto” had finished after the antagonistic Akatsuki was gone. Undoubtedly, those characters had a huge impact on the storyline. Villains are as important as heroes, especially if they’re well “shaped.”


No.2 “Yagami Light” from Death Note: How supremacy could change an ordinary person

Some of the people may not recognize Yagami Light as a villain because he is the hero in the entire story of “Death Note,” but I personally think that he played both hero and villain. In the story, the Death Note gives any kind of person the power to execute anyone; you just need to write down their name to do so. Light, who considers that his life is too boring, accidentally obtains this dreaded notebook. Then he starts to use this notebook to execute the criminals to achieve his “justice.” But, soon, he was obsessed with this power, with the result that he had the ambition to be the God of the world. This path is like an abyss to him; the Death Note entirely changed him. Everything he regards as obstacles he eliminates, including his family and friends and investigative authorities.

No.3 “Aizen Sosuke” from Bleach: The fanatic pursuit of perfection

Aizen is the biggest boss in the world of Bleach ever. His behavior and thoughts interpret the extreme concept of “perfection.” Because he believes that he is too successful as a scientist, there is nearly nothing that could satisfy him except for the innovation that has never been done before, except for creating something that has never been created before. So, he starts to engage in projects which are essentially inhumane.

Editor: Holden Hartle

places i recommend you visit

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By Makena Behnke, World Traveler Blogger

i’m quite a seasoned traveler, but i don’t mention it much because i don’t want to seem like that one kid that came back from vacation and never shut up about their summer trip. but here are many places that i think everyone should visit.

of course, you have the classic bucket-list places like,

  • Paris, France
  • Rome, Italy
  • London, England
  • Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Venice, Italy
  • Florence, Italy

here are some “less traveled” places,

  • Auckland, New Zealand
  • Dublin, Ireland
  • Cologne, Germany
  • Bern, Switzerland
  • Zurich, Switzerland
  • Antwerp, Belgium
  • Granada, Spain
  • Córdoba, Spain
  • Pamplona, Spain
  • Christchurch, New Zealand
  • St. Tropez, France
  • Ramatuelle, France

so, there you go. happy travels.

Cologne, Germany


Holden Rants About a Topic That Isn’t Really Relevant But is Still Kind of Interesting Part 3

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The National Milk Producers Federation: Got Milk?

By Holden Hartle

Now, I love milk just as much as the next person, but would I dedicate my career to lobbying for it? Well, no, but Randy Mooney would. He is the Chairman of Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., which works within the interest group the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). I’ve never thought about it, but the dairy industry is booming in America (we do love our butter).

The NMPF is big on issues like the selling of raw milk. As you may know, milk must be pasteurized so as to get rid of bacteria. And, apparently, it is within the bounds of the law to sell raw milk that can make the consumer sick. In 2018, The NMPF has brought down legislation that makes raw milk more available, such as Amendment 30 from the 2018 Farm Bill. This amendment would have removed the restrictions that are currently in place that prevent the interstate sale of raw milk. But, the NMPF, along with Paul Ryan and Nancy Pelosi, shot down the amendment, stating that it would be, “an unnecessary risk to consumer safety and public health.”

The NMPF is also big on helping the environment. They are in the process of developing the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC). This is in place to clean up oil and fuel spillages on farms. Also, they started the National Air Emissions Study (NAEMS), which measures the pollution emitted by dairy farms and is finding ways to limit them.

Possibly the issue that the NMPF cares about the most is the price of milk. The Federal Government stopped regulating milk prices, meaning that the prices are very volatile based off of supply and demand. Instead of allowing milk prices to go up so that the milk industry can make more a profit, the NMPF is working on an “insurance-based federal safety net program to give farmers an effective tool to protect their farms in times of extremely low milk prices or high feed costs.” In short, instead of milk prices getting too low and farmers not making money, the NMPF is working on a way to prevent farmers from going bankrupt. Instead of being pro-industry, the NMPF is more concerned with the financial well-being of farmers.

On a separate note, if you are interested in doing graduate research on the dairy industry, the NMPF has a scholarship just for you, the NMPF National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program. The past winner was Isaac Salfer, who is in the process of getting his doctorate in animal sciences and is studying the effect of nutrient intake on circadian rhythms in the mammary gland of dairy cows.

In my research of the NMPF, I have come to the conclusion that the NMPF is adorable. As far as I can tell, the National Milk Producers Federation is genuinely interested in selling milk that is “safe, wholesome, and nutritious.” Nothing Federation members do, at least the things they promote, project them as money-hungry and greedy. They are active in changing legislation that promotes animal cruelty, and they care about the environment. And, on top of all that, they are creating a safety net for farmers if the price of their product falls too low. And on top of all that, they have a scholarship for graduate students who are pursuing a career in the dairy industry. Their actions seem like a certain brand of milk–wholesome.

If you would like to learn more of the NMPF, the link to the website referenced is http://www.nmpf.org

Editor: Leo Milmet

What are We?

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By Leo “Little Rabbit” Milmet

People appreciate us as pieces of fine art.

They praise the beauty of our metallic shine and the vividity of our bright and varying colors.

We are ginormous and multicolored;

though a man of no artistry whatsoever may say we should be small and gray,

most love us for what we are.

We are inspired by the benevolent Irish spirit Pooka.

We were brought forth by the brilliant, visionary artists Tony and Karen Barone.

One of us, a purple one, was named Little Rabbit, a nickname given to this poet by his dear, loving grandmother.

We live on Highway 111 by the Atrium, for all to see, interact with, and appreciate.

What are we?

Image result for karen and tony barone rabbits
Image result for karen and tony barone rabbits

Editor: Makena Behnke

The Weak

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By Translator and Blogger James Zheng

So, I was browsing on a Chinese video sharing website called Bilibili (which is similar to Youtube), and then I found this amazing poem among the comments while I was watching a well-made AMV (anime music video). Shockingly, this poem was written by a normal anime reviewer. The translation is by me.


By Scattered Sakura (Screen name)


Rain brings the flavor of the sky;

the ocean carries the atmosphere of the abyss;

cicadas of late summer deliver their taunts to human beings;

the intolerable pain of the spine oppresses the fragile nerves.

Those cowards who had never been to the battlefield roared presumptuously.

They were wishing to tear apart the prey,

while they remained endlessly hateful about the cloudy sky,

and the deadly calm of the Jordanian river in the deep winter.

Twisted with hundreds of emotions and sentiments, the battlefield led to the Crows’ bloodthirst.

The stinky wind came from the sea;

the heavy rain brought extremely frozen water,

And the furiously raging flame was extinguished.

No redemption, no destruction, only obedience can lead to survival.

Sweat flowed down the girl’s smooth body,

withered leaves sprinkled with blood and tears.

The swan cut across the sky,

full of loneliness and desolation–caged birds pray for a storm full of life.

However, in front of the higher herdsmen,

we can only be captive lambs, fearing death, while hoping that the glory of victory spreads over the earth before dawn.


Before I shoot off to tell you how extraordinary this poem is, I must tell you that there is a slight difference between Chinese and American figurative and literal meanings, as well as writing styles. Because of the translation, there might be some places in the poem that may slightly confuse you.

What is really fascinating about this entire poem is the way it depicts a vivid image to interpret the significant term, “the weak.” The word choice actually conveys to me an oppressive atmosphere where one force overcomes another.

Editor: Luke Langlois

The U.S Bureau of Consular Affairs

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By Luke Langlois

Today, I am going to share a resource with you. If you were to collect one million bucket lists, you would likely read of people’s desires to “travel the world” many, many times. However, the U.S Bureau of Consular Affairs, a branch of the Department of State, would most likely tell “world travelers” to hold their horses. You see, the Bureau has a little something called the Travel Advisories, the links for which can be found below. These websites gives the world’s countries a 1-4 ranking, based on how suitable a nation is for American travelers.

Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions

Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution

Level 3: Reconsider Travel

Level 4: Do Not Travel

Let me break down these ranks. A Level 1 country is normally safe to travel to; you would just need to take the usual precautions. Level 2 countries are also usually fine places to travel. They are marked as such due to a slightly higher rate of petty street crimes or an increased risk of terrorist activities. Level 3 countries are not the ideal travel destinations. They usually are marked as having high rates of crime or increased risk of terrorist activity, which is relatively similar to a Level 2 nation. However, Level 3 countries are set apart from Level 2 due to domestic strife. For example, Haiti is marked as Level 3 due to political and civil unrest; the high rates of crime are a result of this. Traveling to Level 4 countries is an extreme risk. If you are bent on traveling to a Level 4 nation, expect resistance at every step of the way. It is important to note, though, that people are only explicitly banned from traveling to the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea; everywhere else is “fair game.”  The Bureau, quite literally, recommends that travelers write their wills, as well as check on their life insurance, before they travel to a Level 4 country. Level 4 countries are usually rampant in crime, especially towards outsiders from the west.  Level 4 countries are, most likely, experiencing deadly domestic conflict, or are under the rule of a violent dictator. Some of the Level 4 countries are even in the midst of a civil war. There are only eleven countries with this designation. The Bureau advises those that travel to Level 4 countries to stay in certain, safer, locations within the nation. These areas tend to be densely populated regions that are somewhat under control of the local government, which makes it easier for a response in case something were to happen to the traveler. There is much more to be seen on the website itself, but this hopefully has given you a good idea of the rankings system.

I am not a traveler, but I enjoy checking the Travel Advisories every once in a while to see what is going on in the world. You see, the media does not tend to focus on domestic foreign affairs unless they’re large and publicized issues that Americans are interested in. To get an idea of what is going on in the world, you would have to really pay attention to the media, or you would have to find international outlets. While nations with stability have credible news sources, many nations do not have seriously credible sources of news.  In short, seeing the state of countries around the world is not an easy thing to do. With this resource, you can see the world at a glance. If you at all are curious, check out the Bureau’s websites below. There’s always something to learn.

https://travelmaps.state.gov/TSGMap/

A map view of the world, with rankings.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/

A list view of the world, with rankings.

Editor: Holden Hartle

Review of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun

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By James Zheng

Hey guys, today I got completely new stuff for you! I am not recommending the overwhelmingly popular anime, but I am recommending some meaningful anime. Today, I am going to present a unique anime for you. When you take a look at this anime title, you might think something like, ”What is this about? Publishing a magazine every month?” Well, that would be quite boring, right? Although the title seems really confusing, the story is perfectly arranged. In addition, the rhythm of story always sticks with the plot. As you are watching it, it won’t be too hard to follow the storyline.

Monthly Girls’ was produced by Doga Kobo animation studio, which is a pretty famous company. Doga Kobo’s anime style can be described as “cute.” Among the realm of anime, Doga Kobo dominates in character design. The company is so specialized in designing the appearance of characters that Doga Koba’s works are very attractive to teenagers. Monthly Girls’ was published by Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd, and Media factory, and they both are the brand company of Kadokawa Corporation.

In short, Monthly Girls’ is a romantic comedy. But, the events that happen in the story do not follow the normal routine of romantic comedy. There will actually be many “What the heck?” moments. The funny and surprising storyline goes on for 12 episodes; right after you finish one episode, you might want to move on to next one immediately.

 

In Monthly Girls’, Sakura Chiyo is a heroine who wants to express her love to the hero, the famous romance author Nozaki Umetarou. When she comes to Nozaki, she is feeling extremely nervous which makes her say the wrong words to Nozaki. “I am your fan!” When those words come out, Nozaki freezes. And all the sudden he replies, “You could come to my house tonight.” Then, the story begins . . . but not as you expect. Basically, to give you a sense of the setting of the story rather than spoiling it, I would say that’s the most intriguing part of Episode 1. Watch it; see what happens.

Before I decided to recommend this anime, I already knew that many people prefer action anime. On the other hand, I am saying that we could switch our taste of anime by seeing different anime styles. Moreover, Monthly Girls’ definitely will not disappoint.

 

Editor: Holden Hartle