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HowFashion 04: TikTok Edition

October 25, 2018 by ehesson@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By HowFashion Blog Correspondent Jeremy Cheng

Nowadays, there are increasing numbers of youngsters who use their phone to watch short videos. Therefore, Musical.ly was produced.

Musical.ly provides a chance for people who like to perform and pay nothing to do it.

In September 2016, TikTok was produced, an app which also makes short videos for social media.

TikTok users are able to choose music, take video, and produce their own video. This app was released on the Android App Store and the Apple App Store.

Since video recording technology was produced, the most popular type of short video in the whole world is MV (music video), and it is the most difficult type of short video to produce of all the short videos.

A music video is the most difficult type of short video to film. The majority of people can’t make their own music, and they have to borrow others, pretending to act and sing or play music anytime, anywhere.

Dubsmash performance solved this problem using audio, music, and script. Users only need to act, and each video is no longer than 15 seconds. It lowers the difficulty of making a video, increasing the fun of content; thus, they are easier to spread.

(An Example of Dubsmash use) http://v.douyin.com/dVoKgQ/

There are two ways to film a short video. The first one is TikTok, which provides everything that users need, and the second is for users to make their own music, script, and video.

Dubsmash is PGC (Professionally-generated Content) music combined with UGC (User-generated Content) video.

TikTok is also a social media app. Users can share their daily life on TikTok, and at the same time people can make more friends and learn different anecdotes from them.

(Examples) http://v.douyin.com/dVt6jY/

Users can edit their video speed and special effects (slow-motion, repeating, flashing, reversing), which not only makes it seem like they are the one singing but also makes it a more creative video.

(Examples) https://www.iesdouyin.com/share/video/6602192209418652935/?region=US&mid=6490330650472942349&u_code=h8b64ac1&titleType=title&timestamp=1538022597&utm_campaign=client_share&app=aweme&utm_medium=ios&tt_from=copy&utm_source=copy&iid=44841159240

However, note, from March 1st to March 31st, 2018, there were 27,231 videos, 8,921 songs, and 15,234 accounts banned because of copyright infringement.

 

Why did TikTok become popular?

“Populars” effect is the one most important key that makes TikTok popular.

In mid-March, TikTok became well known. Many people think that TikTok invites influencers to advertise their application.

On March 13, a famous comedian published an article with the TikTok Logo, and after the day he posted, the numbers of views increased rapidly.

Content operating is the foundation of appeal with users.

With content operating, TikTok has created a special algorithm that can distribute views to everyone, which means if a normal person does not have fans, one can have many fans if one films a good video. Therefore, there has been an increasing number of people who are willing to join TikTok and use it.

Stephanie, a fellow student, had taken a vlog and uploaded it to TikTok. She got 40k views and 1.5k likes.

http://v.douyin.com/dVGUeL/

TikTok operators are good at combining real-time hot spots and change it to what teenagers like. For instance, teenagers were interested in ThugLife, a famous trend of wearing sunglasses with a big gold chain, which appeals to many young adults.

http://v.douyin.com/dVs4hK/

http://v.douyin.com/dVph1p/

TikTok, on average, gets 6 billion hits daily!!!

Why are so many people addicted to TikTok?

According to Sensor Tower, TikTok was downloaded 35 million times in August 2018!!

Some people would claim short videos are boring, while others would claim the short videos of TikTok make people want to keep watching more videos. People think that the next video will be more interesting, and because of this belief it acquires 6 billions daily hits!

 

Editor: AJ Patencio

Filed Under: Culture, Fashion, Media, Technology, The World Tagged With: How Fashion 04, Jeremy Cheng, TikTok

Baby Names–What’s Up With That?

October 2, 2018 by ehesson@pvs.org 3 Comments

By Luke Langlois

In a world with seven billion people, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stand out. We all know that people love to be unique. Around the world, original thinking has taken the form of baby names. Rarely is there situation where an unorthodox baby name causes any problems. However, some people really push the boundaries. Here are a few nations that make sure their children are not named anything too ridiculous.

In France, local birth registrars have to inform their local court if they feel a baby’s name will cause issues or excessive mockery. This law, originally created by Napoleon Bonaparte, has caused the “veto” of quite a few prospective French names.

Nutella

Strawberry

Mini Cooper

Deamon

In Germany, there are a couple of baseline rules. Parents cannot give their children gender-neutral names, last names (as first names), names of objects, or names of products. Besides this, Germany has laws similar to France’s where they do not allow names that could lead to a lifetime of embarrassment, names such as . . .

Matti (Not a clear gender indication)

Osama Bin Laden

Adolf Hitler

Kohl (A last name)

In Sweden, the list of banned names is a bit more interesting, to say the least. Similarly to France, Sweden believes that any names that are obviously unsuitable or offensive are illegal. Swedish parents must register their child’s name three months before birth to the Swedish Tax Agency. Primarily, the Swedish government does this to tax people. Other times, they do this to stop a crime against humanity. Swedish unlawful names include . . .

Metallica

Superman

Ikea

“Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlb11116”

Apparently, residents of New Zealand try to go even further when it comes to naming their children. New Zealand bans one hundred character names, names that cause offense, names that are clearly unfit for a human being,  or names that could be seen as an official title rank. Such banned names include . . .

Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii

Lucifer

Fat Boy

Cinderella Beauty Blossom

It’s more than just the eastern hemisphere banning names. Mexico passed a law that banned sixty-one specific names. They banned names that were deemed to lack meaning or are derogatory, names such as . . .

Facebook

Rambo

Hermione

Batman

There are baby-name laws in nearly every country on the face of the Earth, even the liberty-loving United States of America. If this has peaked your curiosity, I encourage you to check out the wide range of illegal baby names and name restrictions. Perhaps these names could provide you with some quick laughs. It is also possible that you’re worried about naming a child something illegal. To add onto this, some of the above names have stories behind them. For example, Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii went to court to change her unwieldy name. No matter what, it is unquestionably beneficial to check out the surprising range of baby-name regulations. I would be a bit careful though; some of these baby names are simply going to be grotesque or offensive.

Editor: AJ Patencio

Primary source: https://www.businessinsider.com/banned-baby-names-from-around-the-world-2016-10

Filed Under: Culture, The World Tagged With: Baby Names--What's Up With That?, Luke Langlois

Review of The Grisaia Trilogy

September 28, 2018 by ehesson@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By James Zheng

Hey guys, this is a non-popular anime for you all. Well, I mean a non-popular anime that is absolutely fabulous and extraordinary. You might be wondering, how can a non-popular anime be fabulous and extraordinary? Let me tell you three things–this anime was not published nor developed by a famous company; the company did not advertise the anime; and I can tell you that there is not even a Wikipedia about this anime. After I finish this, you may have even more questions to ask, but the popularity does not really affect the quality of an anime. Just watch it first before you give comments.

The Grisaia Trilogy includes three seasons: the Labyrinth of Grisaia (Grisaia no Meikyuu), the Fruit of Grisaia (Grisaia no Kajitsu), and the Eden of Grisaia (Grisaia no Rakuen)–ordered according to the time of publishing. And the most important thing before we go into the introduction, I am not a spoiler! I only tell the attractive elements in this anime instead of telling you the plot or the details.

The Grisaia Trilogy was actually edited from a game produced by Front Wings when it was published by Geneon Entertainment. The figure of characters and making of episodes are designed by 8-bit, which also has designed a few animes such as Infinite Stratos and Rewrite.

The Grisaia Trilogy has an ideal performance of art. It does not look quite realistic but gives audiences a sense of comfort since the artistic style shows characters’ faces and actions that are not tense. In other words, the style of its art does not give any excitement but rather a sense of relaxation as you watch it. Also, each season of Grisaia gives you a different story. It makes you feel like watching three separate animes, which is not a weird thing because the stories are connected to each other. At this point, what really makes an anime too boring to watch? Since other animes are too long (over a hundred episodes), you don’t even know which episode is going to be the last. Or it is lack in creativity? You might say, “I have watched a similar one before this.” Well, those issues won’t apply to The Grisaia Trilogy because it gives you three separate stories to watch. The first season has thirteen episodes; the second season is only one episode (about forty-eight minutes), and the third season has ten episodes. Each episode is an outstanding work, and you won’t spend a long time finishing it.

Let’s go to the story part. Briefly, this anime tells a story between a boy and five girls. To be more specific, it’s how the hero helps those girls to extricate from the shadow of their dark past. Well, that is what the first season tells. The second season introduces the prequel to the first season. But, in the last season, it’s how the girls save the hero from his shadow, which is opposite from the first season. To summarize, the most attractive piece of The Grisaia Trilogy is the detailed expression of psychological emotion of characters in the first season, and the humanity is perfectly presented by several figures of character in the third season. Those are the most excellent aspects of the trilogy.

After all those deep introductions, if you are interested in this anime, watch it right after you finish reading my review! Whether you are interested or not, watch the first episode. Then, decide!

 

Note: The Grisaia is recommended for those who are 17 or older.

I recommend you watch the Grisaia Trilogy on a website called 9anime.to by searching its Japanese name.

Editor: Holden Hartle

 

Filed Under: Advice, Culture, Fiction, Review, The World, Visual Arts Tagged With: James Zheng, Review of The Grisaia Trilogy

Different Time, Same Humans

September 24, 2018 by ehesson@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Luke Langlois

Unless you happen to be an 80’s movie star with easy access to a certain DeLorean, you most likely have not time traveled. However, you’ve definitely thought of what kind of petty things you could do with the power of time travel. You could tear the very fabric of the universe in order to procrastinate a little longer! While that would be incredible, the sun may implode before we figure that out. For now if we really want to time travel, we simply need to look to one the world’s greatest inventions, film.

When we young people tend to look back to the land before our conceivable time, it’s usually in black and white photography. While we may think we have a general idea of what’s going on, do we really? Personally, I find it difficult to actually process what I’m seeing. My brain registers a black and white picture as little more than a relic of history. In reality though, these people were once living, breathing, and struggling, just like ourselves. My eyes have recently been opened to the past due to the gears of capitalism–advertisements.

Humans seldom look back on what has changed. We seem to view the mid-20th century as a completely different time with things like the Cold War, funny hats, and video games like Pong. While of course big changes have been made globally and culturally, humans have always been humans. Last weekend, I was on YouTube, a rare occurrence in these junior days. On YouTube, as people do, I looked up “old commercials.” I clicked on a video that was titled “Commercials from the 60s.” I was expecting ridiculous advertisements for irrelevant products or some sort of American propaganda. However, I had heard of almost every product featured (look below for a link to said video). It was almost surreal, though that may be a bit dramatic. Many things have changed, but, in the grand scheme of things, there is so much that hasn’t changed at all. We humans are still just humans. While the advertisements are a bit strange by today’s standards, it’s really just a bunch of food, coffee, or medicine commercials. Yes, the Trix rabbit has been attempting to steal cereal for more than half a century.

The point is, we can’t time travel in the science-fiction sense, but we do have access to a type of time travel. I encourage you all to watch any available old film, audio, or video, to put life, and previous eras, into context. Who knows, maybe you’ll be enlightened! Along with the video of commercials I referenced, check out things such as old political or colorized footage.

Tide–because the world has always been in color.

Link to video of advertisements below. Students, you’ll have to watch it at home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2AQdyB34so)

Editor: Holden Hartle

Filed Under: Advice, Culture, History, Media, Op-Ed, Technology, The World, Visual Arts Tagged With: Different Time, Luke Langlois, Same Humans, Time Travel

皓HowFashion 02

September 19, 2018 by ehesson@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Fashion Blogger Jeremy Cheng

 

There are so many influencers who play a significant role online.

Especially,

Instagram.

In the country where I was born, China, there are so many different types of similar social medias.

For instance,

People have the chance to share their daily life or other interesting things to others through these media sites.

People hoping to be famous who dream of standing on the stage and getting the attention of others use social media.

For the second part of “HowFashion,” I am going to show you how to appeal to others and get a  bunch of fans!

One of my friends has thousands of fans in Chinese social media. Her name is Emily Lin, and she likes to be called Mikkyob.

Nice: @Mikkyob

Instagram: @mikkyoblin_

——————————————————————————————————————

Sometimes, wearing a famous brand is not the main factor behind being handsome or beautiful.

Eye contact, poses, and emotion can make a model look vivid.

The picture on the left shows how a black dress can enhance Mikkyob’s body shape and highlight her curves. The crown makes her look grandiose and gorgeous.

In the middle picture, Mikkyob looks at the camera while chewing bubble gum. It makes her look cute and relatable.

In the picture on the right, Mikkyob decides to sit on the ground and look to the side. It shows her as being cold and elegant. It gives her an icy beauty.

In the right two images, she wears a red and white-striped top and red comfortable trousers. The red earrings cross with the dark green crown. The yellow background adds youth, passion, and enthusiasm.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The most important things have to be said three times!!!

Confidence! Confidence! Confidence!

It is extraordinarily significant to take a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious picture.

 

Mikkyob laid her arm on the chair’s handle and looked at the camera, which makes her look younger. With her feet swinging in the air, she is booming with confidence.

——————————————————————————————————————————

If the weather is pretty and nice, you might be able to take an Instagram-style photo, too. See the following image.

A photographer put Mikkyob in the middle of the photo and leaves half of the photo above her head.

In my opinion, this makes the model look taller. The sky and the pool are gorgeous blues. Plus, Mikkyob’s bikini color goes well with the blue. It has no more than 3 main colors; thus, the images will look lovely and beautiful.

—————————————————————————————————————————

To sum it up, taking a good picture is not hard, as long as you know how to do it and have extra confidence.

If you have any good suggestions or want to talk about your fashion, please comment below this blog, and we will contact you.

The next great fashion expert will be you!!

————————————————————————————————–

More pictures below

Editor: Luke Langlois

Filed Under: Advice, Culture, Fashion, Media, The World Tagged With: HowFashion, Jeremy Cheng

Adventures Through Slab City

September 14, 2018 by ehesson@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Blog Adventurer Holden Hartle

Photo credits: Amanda Laule

Not to sound cheesy, but over Labor Day weekend I had the most amazing experience. I, along with a few friends, embarked on a journey around the Salton Sea. On this journey, we stopped at Salvation Mountain and, the real attraction, Slab City.

For those that don’t know, Salvation Mountain is a sculpture made by Leonard Knight. He dedicated 30 years of his life to the spread of one phrase: God is love. This phrase is plastered all over the mountainside. The pull factor of Salvation Mountain, at least for me, is that there is nothing like Salvation Mountain anywhere in the world. Its uniqueness and originality is unmatched.

If you travel half a mile east of Salvation Mountain, you will find Slab City. Residents live completely off the grid. There is no electricity, running water, or most things that make life in the desert comfortable, but residents make it work.

Upon arrival, you are greeted with rows of trailers, which may remind you of a trailer park. But, if that’s the case, this is the single greatest trailer park in the world. Beautiful murals line the entrance, and people are often outside their trailers selling various items, from pottery to art lessons.

Our specific destination was East Jesus, cleverly named as it is east of Salvation Mountain. East Jesus is an art gallery that is made entirely out of recycled material. We get out of the car and enter the appropriately named, West Satin. West Satin is more of a hang-out area rather than an art gallery. Inside was a group of people simply talking about their lives and their stories.

Before leaving home for Slab City, four different people came up to me and said, “Don’t get out of the car. You could get attacked by homeless people.” Let me tell you how glad I am that I didn’t listen to those people. The Slab City residents were some of the most genuinely nice people I have ever met. Though I never got his name, one resident gave us some insight into why and how someone would live there.

When I asked the man how he lives without common amenities, he responded with his own question, “How do you live?”

“With electricity and air conditioning.”

“Are you happy?”

“I’d say so.”

“Are you stressed?”

“Well, everyone is stressed where I live.”

“That is how I live comfortably. There are no electricity bills, no utility bills, and no rent. You just live. There is no timetable for when you have to do something. You just do it whenever you can.” To adults who pay bills and to teenagers who are generally stressed all of the time, this sounds like a Utopia. But it wasn’t always so Utopian.

When the government was surveying the area to build a wall between America and Mexico, they tried to drive the residents out. Their way of accomplishing this was to shut off Slab City’s water. Though he didn’t go into exact details, the man explained that now they have more water than before the government concreted their water pipes.

Their stress-free life and their sense of community is something that I’ve never seen before. We live in a society where we need to get everything done on a schedule, but why not take a breath? The residents of Slab City are living full Hakuna Matata, with no worries or cares. Most of us say that we could never live without our electronics or air conditioning, but look at the hundreds of people living in our backyard that have no electronics, yet they are some of the happiest people I’ve ever met. Maybe there is something to take away from these Slab City-ians about how to live a happy life.

Editor: Luke Langlois

Filed Under: Advice, Culture, driving dirt roads, The Outdoors, The World, Travel Tagged With: Holden Hartle, Slab City

A Misportrayed Krab

September 5, 2018 by ehesson@pvs.org 2 Comments

By new-to-the-2018-19-birdonfire staff, Blogger Luke Langlois

 

What’s the first word you think of when presented with our favorite animated restaurant owner, Mr. Krabs? It could be something like red, shiny, or even pointy-nosed. Unfortunately, the most prominent description of Mr. Krabs is “cheap.” How often do people use the word “cheap” in a good light? If you’re in need of a bag of Doritos, and a friend won’t lend a dollar, you’d call that friend cheap. If someone gets genuinely excited by a penny on the floor, they’re cheap. If your employer sells your soul for sixty-two cents, they’re cheap. By all accounts, Eugene Krabs has shown himself to be the stereotypical cheapskate. Society would like you to think that being the dictionary definition of a cheapskate is NOT a good thing. Though, is Mr. Krabs truly a cheap crab at heart? Or, is he an overly generous employer? After a brief look at some numbers, the answer is pretty clear.

Let’s take a look at the typical fast-food employee of the United States and compare it to Mr. Krab’s employees. In the United States, someone in the fast food industry is paid about $18,000 a year. In most large cities, the median rent per month for an average apartment would be at least $1,000. Without covering taxes, or any other basic need, that would amount to $12,000 a year, a majority of the salary of an average employee. Clearly, the average fast food employee does not make even close to enough to live in a safe apartment in the city while covering any other basic needs or amenities. How miserable! Who could ever work in the fast-food industry and live a fulfilled life? Spongebob and Squidward could.

Now, we can take a look at Spongebob and Squidward, Mr. Krabs’s two most loyal employees of nearly twenty years. Both of these fast-food employees are clearly able to provide for themselves. They have sizable and safe households. Besides being the owners of safe and decently sized domiciles, Spongebob and Squidward live in the outskirts of a prime city under the ocean.  As far as us viewers know, there are no other major cities in existence in the Spongebob universe. Adding on to this, the most desirable homes in cities are usually the suburban ones, such as Spongebob’s pineapple or Squidward’s Easter Island Head. To sum it up, these employees live in safe and spacious homes in the prime of this aquatic metropolis. Not only that, but Spongebob and Squidward have been known to have more than just basic needs. Spongebob is well known for his expert caretaking as well as jellyfishing. Like Spongebob, Squidward is able to pursue his passions. He paints, plays the clarinet, and even takes dance lessons. These are all expensive pursuits, especially in a capitalist society! In comparison to our above-water society, Squidward and Spongebob are paid exceptionally well for their seemingly mundane jobs in the fast-food industry.

Does the point not drive itself home? Mr. Krabs, mistakenly portrayed as a cheap and horrible crab to work for, is in fact one of the most generous people you could EVER work for. If you hear anyone call Mr. Krabs cheap, sit them down and make sure their minds are forever changed.

 

DISCLAIMER: While Mr. Krabs pays generously and allows his two employees to live a good life, he has made a few mistakes. Luke does not personally support the following: thievery, counterfeiting, 24/7 labor, selling the souls of employees, assault of employees, jellyfish slavery, grave robbery, attempted murder, or charging people for breathing.

 

Editor: Bella Bier

Filed Under: Culture, Fiction, Humor, Media, The World Tagged With: Luke Langlois, Mr. Krabs, Spongebob

Tesla–Sustainable Living At Its Finest

June 6, 2018 by ehesson@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Shelby Armor

When we think about Tesla, Inc., we think about their cars. And, yes, their cars are 100% electric, and have no engine whatsoever. As of April 2018, Tesla has saved 3,330,166.37 tons of CO2 emission through their vehicles alone, and the number goes up every minute. But, Tesla does so much more. While their cars are groundbreaking, they also do a lot of things that help home life, and help to create a greener environment and promote sustainable living.

In addition to having 100% electric cars, they also produce solar panels, “Powerwalls,” and solar roofs. Their solar panels have a sleek design and seamless integration into the roof. The way they operate is by connecting to the “Powerwall,” which is another creation by Tesla. The Powerwall is a 100% self-powered battery that meets all energy needs of a house on any given day. When there is a power outage, the Powerwall can sustain the house for 7+ days on the energy it has created alone. It functions by taking the solar energy that the solar panels produce during the day and storing it. They also have a Tesla app, where you can track the power that is being used and how much you still have in your home. As Tesla is big on getting a sleek look, they also created a “Solar Roof,” which essentially acts as a solar panel and blending in seamlessly to your house. The solar roof connects directly to the Powerwall to power your home. Tesla grants a lifetime warranty on the solar roof itself, which goes through the subsidiary company Solar City.  

Tesla has been helping the world as well, not just the home. The Powerwall, announced in the April of 2015, and since then has been used extensively in home life and also in community service projects. Elon Musk, the creator of Tesla, actually brought 700 Powerwalls to Puerto Rico, to the “Hospital del Niño” after the hurricane to help bring care to patients who needed them. For the actual Tesla cars, they do not use one big battery, but instead use thousands of small, cylindrical, lithium-ion commodity cells, like those found in everyday electronics. They put the batteries under the floor of the vehicle. Because of this, there is more space in the trunk and interior. An example of this is that the Tesla has a “Frunk,” or a trunk in the front. If you go to the hood and open it, there will be extra space to store things, since there is no engine there.

Tesla also created something called a “supercharger.” The supercharger is a free electric charger made by Tesla that exists all over the world for Tesla owners to charge their cars. There are 7,320 superchargers globally, and they provide up to 120 kW of power, meaning it would take around 75 minutes to get a full charge. I have been a fan of Tesla since I first heard of it a few years ago. I don’t think that people realize how much Tesla does besides their cars, and I hope this sheds some light on all of the work that Tesla is doing for a green future.

 

Editor: Renée Vazquez

Filed Under: Culture, Review, Technology, The World Tagged With: Shelby Armor, Tesla--Sustainable Living At Its Finest

Stranger Than Fiction

June 4, 2018 by ehesson@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Reddit Investigator Brennan Nick

Most people know what The Onion is. It is a “news” source that posts hilariously fictional articles on ridiculous subjects. However, you do not need to look to fiction to laugh at stories that may seem as if they’re fake. Below are some ecstatically funny headlines that were found in actual news sources:

 

1. “Restaurant arms diners with squirt guns to ward off… seagulls”

Source: The Takeout

2. “Farmer accused of shooting murder blames gunfire on eggplant”

Source: 9news

3. “Scientists plan DNA hunt for Loch Ness monster next month”

Source: Reuters

4. “Man rescued from Taliban didn’t believe Donald Trump was President”

Source: Newsweek

5. “Uber’s search for a female CEO has been narrowed down to 3 men”

Source: The Denver Post

6. “Passenger turned away from two flights after wearing 10 layers of clothing to avoid luggage fee”

Source: The Telegraph

7. “UPS loses Family’s $846K Inheritance, Offers to Refund $32 Shipping Fee”

Source: Newsweek

8. “Justin Bieber banned from China in order to ‘purify’ nation”

Source: The Telegraph

9. “NPR tweets the Declaration of Independence, and people freak out about a ‘revolution’”

Source: The Kansas City Star

10. “Man who mowed lawn with tornado behind him says he ‘was keeping an eye on it.’”

Source: Times Colonist

11. “Ferry McFerryface to be name of new Sydney ferry after public vote”

Source: ABC News

12. “Alt-Right White Supremacists Claim Papa John’s as Official Pizza”

Source: Newsweek

13. “White supremacists taking DNA tests sad to discover they’re not 100% white”

Source: Global News

14. “Palestinian judge bans divorce during Ramadan because ‘people make hasty decisions when they’re hungry’”

Source: Independent

15. “After 4th DWI, man argues legal limit discriminates against alcoholics”

Source: Statesman

16. “Argentinian officers fired after claiming mice ate half a ton of missing marijuana”

Source: The Guardian

17. “‘Nobody kill anybody’: Murder-free weekend urged in Baltimore”

Source: The Baltimore Sun

18. “Texas judge interrupts jury, says God told him defendant is not guilty”

Source: Statesman

19. “Saudi Arabia accidentally prints textbook showing Yoda sitting next to the king”

Source: The Telegraph

20. “‘Japan’s slowest roller coaster’” derails, passengers don’t notice”

Source: Sora News 24

 

Editor: AJ Patencio

Filed Under: Culture, Current News, Media, Satire, The World, Uncategorized Tagged With: Brennan Nick, Stranger Than Fiction

some movies that i love and you might not but i don’t care because i love them with all my heart

June 1, 2018 by ehesson@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Makena Behnke

 

some movies i like suck; some rule. it’s all a matter of opinion, okay? it’s summer, so instead of going outside and getting a tan, stay inside your little cave of a room and watch movies (most of these are on Netflix by the way). so, here we go.

  • The Craft. four girls experiment in the world of witchcraft. can they handle it, or do they go power mad? plus it has Skeet Ulrich soooo, yes.
  • Almost Famous. a 15-year-old kid goes on tour with a band in the 70s. as far as i know, this is the most realistic movie about band life on tour. also, a true story. love, peace, and joy, man.
  • 10 Things I Hate About You. despite what Leo says, it’s great. Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger? yes! also, a modern interpretation of a Shakespeare play? yes! also, set in the 90s? yes! overall, yes.
  • Hush. the horrorest of horror. not really, but it’s still good. It involves a deaf girl who lives in the middle of the forest and a murderer. the girl’s cat’s name is my favorite thing; i’m not allowed to mention it on the blog, but trust me, it’s good.
  • Peter Pan–the 2003 one specifically. the very story of Peter Pan just makes me so happy, but the actors and the way it’s executed makes me love it more.
  • Scream. so darn good. a classic. it has Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox–my favorite 90s actors. truly one of my favorite movies ever.
  • Bring It On and Bring It On: All or Nothing. i was obsessed with this for a long period of time. i probably still can remember most of the cheers (and probably most of the script), but don’t ask me to cheer; i won’t.
  • 13 Going on 30. a movie everyone should watch. although a little chick-flicky, it’s great. can a magical birthday present fast forward through seventeen years? 
  • Kong: Skull Island. i haven’t seen any other giant monkey movies, but this was on the plane, and i couldn’t sleep on the plane. so far, i’m a fan of giant monkey movies. my last two eight-hour plane rides were good movie days.

 

Warning: some movies are Rated R, so beware.

Editor: Claire Jenkins

Filed Under: Advice, Culture, Horror, Media, Op-Ed, Poetry, Review, The World, Visual Arts Tagged With: Makena Behnke, some movies that i love and you might not but i don’t care because i love them with all my heart

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We are the Palm Valley Firebirds of Rancho Mirage, California. Join us in our endeavors. Venture through the school year with us, perusing the artwork of our students, community, and staff. Our goal is to share the poems, stories, drawings and photographs, essays and parodies that come out of our school. Welcome aboard!