Daily Archives: November 13, 2020

Movies/TV/Theaters

Why ‘Bill and Ted Face the Music’ is the best movie of the year 

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By Teah Henry

Image taken from: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1gPGeAYo3yU

‘Bill and Ted Face the Music’ is a movie that came out the summer of this year. It’s the third Bill and Ted film to come out, nearly thirty years after the previous two: ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ and ‘Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey’ came out in 1989 and ‘91, respectively. 

The films feature two California Valley boys, played by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, who are told their music will unite the world and create peace. Bill and Ted don’t seem to have a problem with this destiny in the first two movies, however, the third one shows a middle-aged Bill and Ted who haven’t written the song that will create world peace yet, and time and space is collapsing because of it. 

‘Face the Music’ is one of the best movies to come out to in 2020, even if it doesn’t have much competition due to the coronavirus. It’s a solid comedy and manages to capture the heart of the original movies, despite coming out decades later, something that a lot of later released sequels struggle with.

The Bill and Ted movies appeal to any age group, and ‘Face the Music’ appeals to older and newer fans. Part of that is due to their daughters, Billie and Thea (yes they named their kids after each other), played by Brigette Lundy-Paine and Samara Weaving, who serve as a younger generation Bill and Ted while also being their own unique characters. 

Image taken from: https://nerdist.com/article/bill-and-ted-3-daughters-theory/

The movie also features some LGBT+ representation. Billie’s actor, Brigette Lundy-Paine, is non-binary, and has said they played their character as such. Alex Winter has also been vocal in his support of his character, Bill, being interpreted as a trans man. Non-binary and transgender representation is fairly sparse in media, so it’s always nice to see. 

Not only is ‘Face the Music’ just an excellent movie, but it’s also a very positive experience to watch, and that’s what we all really need in 2020. This year has just been bad news after bad news, so it can be nice to lose yourself in a fun film with good vibes. 

The first two films are available on Starz, while the third one is only available to rent or buy. If you’re able to, it’s totally worth the money to buy, or rent, all three. 

COVID-19

The sprouting of a new beginning

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By: David Meyer

This is one of many backyard gardens that were made during the pandemic. Image taken from: https://www.lohud.com/story/life/2020/03/20/how-start-backyard-vegetable-garden/2878705001/

Many schools across the country have had school gardens for a very long time. And with the COVID-19 pandemic that has happened recently, going into schools was not available to most students.

However, one of the few activities that has still been ongoing for many schools is participating in the school gardens. These gardens have been able to provide an outlet for a large number of students while the pandemic has been happening. It’s a way of them to get outside and be productive when many people feel trapped inside their houses all day with not much to do.

A by product of all of these gardens is fresh produce that can go to either the school, the students who help out, or even to food banks. These food banks are ever more in need of food for the people that depend on them, especially fresh and organic fruits and vegetables.

Not only have people been participating in school gardens, but many have also made gardens of their own.

Since, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, the fresh produce had been limited, people have tried to find a way to get their own fresh fruits and vegetables. So, many home gardens have begun to appear. Not only is the food fresh, but it is almost guaranteed to be safe from COVID-19 because it is home-grown.

But, many families also kept on this trend, and many have started to take care of animals as well; for example, chickens in order to have fresh eggs. The sales of baby chicks that will end up producing eggs has skyrocketed, even as many as 10 times the amount before the pandemic are selling.

These, and other ways people are dealing with this pandemic positively, shows the resilience of many to make the best out of a bad situation.

Advice/How To

Is it worth it to have an in ground pool in 2020?

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By: Jimmy Somerville

Image taken from: https://www.medallionpools.com/inground-swimming-pools/

Today I am asking the question: Is it worth owning an in ground pool in 2020?

Having a pool in your own yard is something many people desire and want. It can cool you down, give you something to do, you can play in it, exercise, chill, and there are many other things you can also do with a pool.

But everything comes with a cost, and pools are rather expensive, and are a pain to take care of. You also have to close the pool up and open the pool in the different seasons and other annoyances.

According to Homeadvisor.com the average cost of an in ground pool is an astounding $51,509, with basic maintenance needs of the pool adding on an extra $1,200-$1,800 yearly. Other utilities and repairs can also be an extra $2,000-$3,000 yearly. As you can see by these statistics, buying a pool isn’t cheap, whatsoever.

Now, what may surprise you, is that actually, my house does have an in ground pool, so my family does own one. In Minnesota, we use it from late May-early September, so we get around 3.5 months of use. During those months, we use it pretty regularly and often have pool parties.

Now, I don’t know how much of a financial burden this on my family exactly because I don’t know my parents salaries, and other things, so as a kid I obviously like having the pool and I think it’s worth it. But if you were to ask my mom if it’s worth it, she may say “No,” and if you were to ask my dad if it’s worth it, he’d probably say “Yes.”

To answer my title question then, it really depends on your own family because if you guys really like water and swimming, and you have a lot of money, then it’d probably be worth it. But if you aren’t into swimming, and don’t have as much money, it probably isn’t worth it. It all comes down to preference.

Quite a simple answer.

-Jimmy Somerville.

National

The importance of swing states

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By: Aisha Dirie

Image taken from: https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/swing-states-2020-election/

With every election, we know that there are states that historically go red, and there are some states that go blue. But there is also something called swing states.

Swing States are states that are unpredictable. There have been many changes in swing states over the years. Some common swing states are: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Iowa. These states can determine the outcome of the election.

As we all know, it takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. Swing States play a big part in a candidate’s victory.

This year, some swing states, according to Cbsnews.com, were: Iowa, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, etc. Many of these states have a large number of electoral votes, making them desirable for candidates. To increase the chances of landing a swing state, most candidates will campaign in that state.

Although some swing states are close in numbers, some usually lean republican or democrat, the two major parties. For example, a swing state this year could be Georgia. Because Georgia is in the South, historically it leans red, but this year that was not a given. Another example could be Pennsylvania. Although this was a close state this year, it historically leans towards blue. 

This year was a perfect example of the importance of swing states. Although Georgia usually goes red, it didn’t.

We also have to consider the COVID-19 pandemic. With the pandemic, it caused many people to mail in their ballots. This election also had the largest voter turnout in the history of elections.

With this, we know that swing states are as important as any other state. They are the most critical factor in winning the election, as they can change the outcome of the elections. This year, Georgia was leaning red, but we soon found out that it turned blue. Changes like these are historic.

Swing states are the most important tool in winning an election, just as we saw Joe Biden do this year.

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