Category Archives: Entertainment

Travel/Food

Funyun facts

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Funyuns are a chip brand invented in 1969 by a Frito-Lay employee. That employee’s name? George Bigner. They are meant to be like onion rings with their flavoring and shape. The flavor comes from a salt and onion mix that they pour onto the chip.

Funyuns were named by Jim Albright, a professor at the University of North Texas. Funyuns were originally going to be called OnYums, but that was already a copywrited product of Rudolph Foods.

Frito-Lay chip bags used to have a “window” on the bags so you could see the food inside. Funyuns were the last chip of Frito-Lay that gave up the window. This happened in 2005.

Funyuns also had five different flavors. Original, Wasabi, Flamin’ Hot, Chile & Limón, and Steakhouse Onion. Wasabi was only a Funyun flavor from 2001 to 2002, and Steakhouse Onion was created in 2015 and was only discontinued this year. But the other three flavors are still here today!

Funyuns are made mostly from cornmeal, and then put into their ring shape from an extrusion process. As mentioned earlier, the flavor comes from a salt and onion flavor mix.

And last, a fun fact! In Brazil, Funyuns are called “Cebolitos”.

Travel/Food

History of Thanksgiving foods

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The holiday we all know and love is coming about,m and the festive season is blooming. If you’re a feverish Thanksgiving fan (even if you don’t even celebrate), here are some interesting facts about the history of Thanksgiving foods that you may or may not know.

We all know the modern staples of a Thanksgiving dinner: cranberry sauce, roast turkey, stuffing and more. But would it surprise you to know that none of these were present at the first Thanksgiving feast?

Instead of wild turkey, it was likely that the settlers ate roast duck or goose. Additionally, seafood, including lobster, clams, and mussels, made an appearance at the meal in the New England colony.

The forest provided chestnuts and walnuts, and crops provided squash, carrots, and peas for sides. Though corn is one of the most iconic Thanksgiving foods, it’s unlikely that settlers had corn on the cob this time of year — the only corn present at the first Thanksgiving was dried.

So, how did we get to eating turkey and mashed potatoes?

Well, the turkey was added to the annual celebration, and later popularized. Indigenous people boiled cranberries with sugar and used it to pair with the turkey. This sauce can be found in a cookbook from 1796. Sweet potatoes with marshmallows originated in France and then was adopted by Americans in attempt to add sweet potatoes to their meal. Pumpkin pie wasn’t found on tables until the 1800s.

While a nutty, herby stuffing could possibly be found at the first Thanksgiving, it wasn’t until 1792 when the modern stuffing was a hit. Green bean casserole, a hot dish, wasn’t popularized until 1955 – less than 63 years ago.

While Thanksgiving food has changed, and been altered over time, it’s not what the holiday is actually about. Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful and gracious for what we have.

Tech/Games

Video games to be released before the end of 2018

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The latest big video games released were Pokemon Lets Go Pikachu and Eevee on November 16, 2018. As it is soon to be the end of the year, there are few video games still to be released. So, here are the last few of them.

Darksiders lll

Darksiders lll is a hack and slash action adventure style game. It is part of the Darksiders franchise which began in 2010, with the first Darksiders. It is being developed by Gunfire Games for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Microsoft Windows. It is based upon Fury, one of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. Darksiders lll is set to be released on November 27, 2018.

Just Cause 4

This is an action adventure game and is a sequel to Just Cause 3, in the Just Cause franchise. The game is being developed by Avalanche Studios. The game is set in an open world environment following the protagonist Rico Rodriguez. Just Cause 4 is being released for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Microsoft Windows. Just Cause 4 is set to be released December 4, 2018.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The last big video game to be released this year, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, is the successor to Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and 3DS. It is the 5th installment to the series that debuted on the N64. It is fighting game that does not rely specifically on trying to deplete an opponent’s health, instead it is based more upon doing more damage to knock an opponent off the edge. This game is the biggest of the franchise, including not only new fighters, but every fighter that has ever been in a Super Smash Bros. game. The game includes mostly Nintendo characters but also includes some others like Sega’s Sonic, and Pac-Man. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is only being released on the Nintendo Switch, and is set to be released on December 7, 2018.

Movies/TV/Theaters

Does T.V. rot your brain?

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Most people, if they have ever looked at a T.V. for too long, have been told that it would rot their brain. But does it really rot it? Well, it turns out your brain isn’t going to rot like a fruit, but there is evidence of it being harmful to your brain when you are young.

According to an article on Scientificamerican.com  watching T.V. at a young age, for prolonged amounts of time, can increase the chance of the child being more antisocial, obese and of having mental health problems. Also, “Previous studies have shown that for each additional hour of television watched in childhood, the odds of developing symptoms of depression increase by 8 percent and the odds of being convicted of a crime increase by 27 percent. And other findings suggest that for every two hours watched in one’s youth, the odds of developing type 2 diabetes increase by 20 percent.”

So, it does seem like watching too much T.V. can lead to some major problems later on in life, but in a recent study they tested pairs of siblings to see any genetic correlation between a person and T.V. The test showed that there seems to be a correlation between people’s genetics and T.V. In the article, they said, “Children with increased predisposition toward aggressive behavior may be more drawn to TV.”

“Similarly, those who are genetically inclined to depression or obesity may be more likely to spend their free time watching T.V. in the family room rather than shooting hoops on the basketball court.”

So, there’s evidence that the problems found in the original research would have happened anyway because that’s in their genetics.

The answer to the question of if T.V. rots your brain or not, seems to be that T.V. can have harmful effects on your brain if you watch it for too long at a young age, but also whatever might happen to you because of watching T.V. might happen to you anyway.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-tv-rot-your-brain/

Movies/TV/Theaters

Exciting new Netflix shows and movies!!!!

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By: Daniela Fernandez, and Maddie Baggenstoss

Every month, Netflix releases tons of new shows and movies. That includes both Netflix originals and lots of other shows for your on-demand viewing pleasure. This month, Netflix has an awesome new lineup of shows and movies.

The Outlaw King is coming out on November 9th. This TV show is about Robert the Bruce, who was the King of Scotland. House of Cards season 6 came out on November 2nd. Brainchild also came out on November 2nd, and is a science show directed to kids. Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj started on November 4, and has new episodes every week. This show is a comedy about current events. Westside is a reality TV show about aspiring musicians, and it comes out on November 9th. She-Ra, Princess of Power comes out on November 16th, and is a reboot of the original from the 1980’s.

All you holiday lovers get ready for some holiday movies! One of the movies is The Christmas Chronicles on November 22nd. The movie tells the story of 2 kids trying to capture Santa, but who end up having to accompany him and his elves as they try to save Christmas. Another holiday movie is The Holiday Calendar, which was released on November 2nd. It is about a magical calendar that grants wishes. The next holiday movie is The Princess Switch, and it comes out on November 16th. This movie is about two identical girls trading places. Another holiday movie is A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding which will come out on November 30th, and is the sequel to A Christmas Prince. The final Christmas movie of this month is the Netflix original Angela’s Christmas which was released on the 1st. And for those of you who are not quite ready to say goodbye to the spooky season, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is bringing a twist on the original story to Netflix. It was also released on November 1st.

The classic Sixteen Candles is also making its debut on Netflix and came out on November 1st. It follows a day in the life of Samantha, whose parents forgot her 16th birthday. The second season of Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet is coming out on November 22nd. A good pick for Marvel fans this month is Doctor Strange, released on November 1st. On November 4th, Netflix is adding Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, the third installment in the series. If you’re into documentaries, Jiro Dreams Of Sushi tells the story of a sushi restaurant that aims for perfection. It comes out on November 22nd.

Tech/Games

History of home video game consoles

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Video games started to slowly get more popular in the mid, and end of, the 1900’s. But originally they were played on computers, until 1972, when the world was introduced to the Odyssey, by Magnavox, the first home console video game system. Slowly though, the hype for the system died because of how basic it was.

The next big video game console to be released was the Atari 2600, from Atari, which began the second generation of video game consoles.

But then, in 1983, due to the competition against computers, and low quality over hyped games, the video game console market crashed in America leading to the bankruptcy of many video game companies.

The video game market in America recovered with the release of the Nintendo entertainment system (NES), and the robotic operating buddy (R.O.B). To get consumers to buy the original NES, it was marketed as a toy with the inclusion of R.O.B.

With the release of the NES, they also released many important video game franchises such as Super Mario (originally from the Donkey Kong arcade game), and Legend of Zelda just to name a few.

Then, in 1989, Sega released the Genesis to compete with Nintendo after their last console, the Sega Master System, couldn’t compete with the NES. With the Genesis being a stronger system (being 16 bit over the NES being 8 bit), having good marketing, and releasing the game Sonic the Hedgehog, Nintendo and Sega began the first console war.

With the release of violent video game series such as Street Fighter, and Mortal Kombat Sega created the entertainment software rating board (ESRB) rating system which is still used today. Nintendo then released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). But the Genesis, having been released before, and for other reasons, had jump started ahead of the SNES.

With further advancements with technology the video game market was hit with the first true 3D games with the 5th generation of consoles. It began with Sega releasing its 32 bit console the Sega Saturn. It was the first video game console to use CDs instead of cartridges.

Then there was the PlayStation which was the first console that Sony had made. It was created after a failed attempt of an add on to a Nintendo console for discs. It was cheaper than the Saturn and was the most popular console for the fifth generation.

The last console for the 5th generation was the Nintendo 64, which hinted in its name that it was a 64 bit console. It still used cartridges, which were technologically inferior to CDs, but even so, it still had many critically acclaimed games. It wasn’t good enough to beat the PlayStation though.

During the sixth generation there were 4 big major consoles released. The PlayStation 2, the Xbox, the Nintendo Gamecube, and the Sega Dreamcast. The PlayStation 2, which was the first video game console to use dvds for games, still was on top. It was so popular it still is the best selling video game console of all time.

The Xbox, which came from Microsoft, had some good success starting a fan base that would widely expand itself to very large numbers today. However, originally the first Xbox couldn’t compete with the PlayStation 2.

The Dreamcast was Sega’s last attempt at a console before becoming a third party video game creator. Sega attempted things ahead of its time, such as online gaming, which did very poorly when first introduced.

The Nintendo Gamecube was released in 2001. Though it released games loved by fans today, it couldn’t catch as much hype as its predecessors. So, the Gamecube couldn’t compete with the PlayStation 2 either.

The seventh generation of consoles brought with it the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3. The PlayStation 3, which was able to read Blu-Ray discs, had finally found competition with the other consoles.

The Xbox 360, had similar technical capabilities compared to the PlayStation 3. The Xbox 360 also had good internet capability, which was a score for Microsoft because they were finally catching up with Sony.

The Nintendo Wii, being the most successful console of this generation, outsold the PlayStation and the Xbox by a pretty good amount. With its innovation with the motion controlled controllers, it appealed to a non hardcore, and family friendly, demographic. It also had video games more active then ever before

The current generation of consoles, the eighth, began with the Wii U, a successor to the Wii. From bad marketing and many other reasons the Wii U was a commercial failure.

It was followed by the PlayStation 4, and the Xbox One. Both have been very successful in their own rights, and have been re-released as the Xbox One X and the PlayStation 4 Pro to support 4K resolution gameplay.

Nintendo’s latest console, the Switch, has been one of the most innovative thus far. Being a handheld and home console hybrid it also features a controller similar to the Wii controllers, and has been very successful due to its innovativeness. Its first party support, with multiple critically acclaimed games has also helped make it popular.

Travel/Food

Things to do in the Big Apple

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Are you traveling to New York anytime soon and don’t know what to do there? Here are some ideas of things to do around the city of New York to make your trip the best!

Tour Bus

Taking the Times Square double decker tour bus is so cool because you get to sit in the top of this high bus and see the city from a cool view, while learning about what’s around you. I recommended the company Top View for the tour bus.

Shop in Times Square

If there’s a rainy, or bad weather, day when you are on your trip I suggest going shopping in Time Square. They have the best stores and so many you can find anything and everything. Also, it’s fun to explore the different stores they have there.

Visit Chinatown

It’s fun to explore different cultures, so why not visit Chinatown. They have really cool shops to explore and good authentic Chinese food. If you’re looking for a good gift shop, I suggest going to Chinatown where they have really cute stuff there and for not too much. In the stores around the area, things will either be super expensive or super cheap, so it fits what you want to get.

Here’s a tip: look out for scams in Chinatown. So many people will try to scam you on the street for your money. If someone on the street offers you something for a really high price, offer them a lower number and if they say no, start to walk away, and most the time they will give in.

Go out to Eat

Don’t stay in your hotel’s restaurant, go travel around the area for some good places to eat. Time Square has some of the world’s best bakeries. Also, walking around helps you see the city and explore.

See a Broadway Show

The one and only Broadway is located in New York. Go out one night and see a Broadway show. They are truly amazing. I recommend my favorite show The Phantom of the Opera.

The Met

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is so pretty. I would highly recommend going to this museum to see so much history from the world. It also gives you access to the roof, where some art is, and it’s the prettiest view of the Upper East Side.

Central Park

Central Park is gorgeous. If you’ve been in the city your whole trip, I recommend going for a nice walk in the park. You can do a lot in the park. You can go on a rowboat in a small lake, or even go on a horse carriage ride. Also, if your looking for somewhere pretty to take pictures this is the place.

Statue of Liberty

While you’re in New York, why not visit and see the thing that makes it so special up close? Going on a ferry ride on the Hudson River to get to the Statue is a really cool experience. The ferry tour is very cool, but super windy if you go on the front deck, so I’d be careful of things flying away. The tour guides explain so much about New York, and actually explain other good places to visit and good places to eat.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Aladdin’ 2019

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Disney has released the first movie trailer for their live-action Aladdin movie, and we get to see the first look of the Cave of Wonder. The director is Guy Ritchie, who is known for his crime films such as: Sherlock Holmes, Snatch, and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. It was an unusual director choice for Disney, and caused some Twitter feeds to express their unhappiness, but Ritchie responded, “With five kids, I know as much or more about kid’s movies than any other type of movies.”

It is reported that Aladdin will be including music in the film like Beauty and the Beast did, and it was one of the things that the producers had to deal with when they were casting actors and actresses. It required that the actors or actresses had to have the ability to sing.

In July of 2017, the cast for Jasmine, Aladdin, and Jafar was announced. There was a backlash from many people when they found out that Naomi Scott was cast as Jasmine. Some people claimed that Naomi Scott looked too pale or that she was not Middle Eastern. Naomi is of mixed British and Gujarati Indian descent. People argued that Disney is reinforcing the idea that South Asian and Middle Eastern are interchangeable.

The role of Aladdin went to Mena Massoud, which many people approved of. Massoud has primarily been a TV actor and has a significant amount of experience in acting. He appears on Amazon’s Jack Ryan series. From what we know, Massoud does not have any significant singing experience, but everyone is quite excited to see Massoud as Aladdin.

Robin Williams voicing the Genie was an iconic performance, and so Ritchie decided to go a different route and casted Will Smith. It was reported that Will Smith was very excited to accept the role and hopes to do well.

For the role of Jafar, Disney has cast Marwan Kenzari. Kenzari has been in The Mummy and The Promise but there is not much about him yet that we know of.

Jasmine’s dad, Sultan, has not been cast yet, and there hasn’t been news about it.

For the animal characters, there hasn’t been anything about Abu, but it does appear that Rajah does play a part in the movie. There is a chance there could be CGI animals in the movie but Disney has not released a statement about it yet.

There is a new character, named Prince Anders, which Disney has cast Billy Magnussen for, and the chief of the guard will be played by Numan Acar. Another new character added in the movie is a friend of Jasmine’s named Mara who will be played by Nasim Pedrad.

The trailer of Aladdin just released, and seems that the production has already finished shooting most of the movie. Aladdin will be in theaters in May of 2019.

Music/Concerts

BTS concert

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BTS is a K-pop boy band with the members being RM (Kin Namjoon), Jin (Kim Seokjin), Suga (Min Yoongi), J-Hope (Jung Hoseok), Jimin (Park Jimin), V (Kim Taehyung), and Jungkook (Jean Jungguk). During 2018 they released two albums; Love Yourself: tear and Love Yourself: Answer. The latter of which concluded their Love Yourself Album series.

BTS announced their upcoming world tour on April 26, 2018. The initial number of shows were 7 in Asia, 15 in North America, 7 in Europe and 29 in total, but BigHit revealed on July 30, 2018, that they’ve added 4 more shows to the Japanese leg of the tour, making it 33 total shows. So far, all their shows have sold out.

when I was getting tickets, the room was in a frenzy. Me and my mom calling my friends family, whom I went with to the concert, and my dad. But when we finally got to ticket master the tickets ad sold out! We didn’t give up and we earthed until we found three seats next to eachother. Now the next challenge, booking a hotel. Whenwe finally found a hotel that had space, it had been an hour. Since many fans had also been looking for rooms, it was impossible to find a hotel.

On the drive to Chicago me and my friend had lots of fun hyping ourselves up for the concert, and when we finally got to the hotel everyone took a few quick showers to refresh from the long car ride and changed.

At the United Center where the concert was taking place, people were buzzing about. And when we finally got in to concert and the show stared, it was very amazing. I absolutely loved the concert! My friend and I and had such a good time together. During the performance they performed may hits and their official setlist for the songs in the order they were performed was:

  • IDOL
  • Save Me
  • I’m Fine
  • Magic Shop
  • Trivia: Just Dance
  • Euphoria
  • I Need U
  • RUN, Serendipity
  • Trivia: Love
  • DNA
  • Boyz With Fun/Attack on Bagtan/Fire/Silver spoon/Dope
  • Airplane pt.2
  • Singularity
  • FAKE LOVE
  • Trivia: Seesaw
  • Epiphany
  • The Truth Untold
  • Outro: Tear
  • MIC Drop
  • So What
  • Anpanman
  • Answer: Love Myself.

It was also my first concert, so the constant screaming took a little getting used to. I really liked being able to go to this concert and i derrifnetly wont forget the experience.  I know everyone cant attend concerts like this so I was extrmely ahoy my parents obliged t send me. The entire experience, in the end, I would defiantly say it was worth it.

Music/Concerts

Lil Wayne “Tha Carter V”

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Recently, the new Carter 5 album by Lil Wayne was realsed on September 28th, 2018. Fans have been patiently waiting 7 years for Tha Carter 5 album to be released, after the Carter 4 was realsed August 29th, 2011. For all who don’t know, Lil Wayne is rapper, writer, and American producer from Holly Grove, Louisiana, who has been nominated and won multiple awards including: artist of the year, favorite rap/hiphop-album, Grammys, American Music Awards, and BET awards. He is a powerful artist in the HipHop community, and is thought of highly all across the globe.

Since the release of the Carter 5 album many people have been inspired all around the country. He shares his story, personal life, goals, faluires, and future goals. The Carter 5 album, I feel, has brought fans closer to him and have helped them became more connected to his life. In Lil Wayne’s new album, he has a theme which is: his mom. After every song, his mom talks on the album and discuss Lil Wane’s life, her love for him, interviews, and phone calls. By having his mom as a relevant part of the album I feel he is expressing his love and appreciation for his mom and how much she has done for him.

Lastly, if you want to listen to his album you can find it on iCloud, Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, and more. Songs I suggest anyone to listen to include: “Mona Lisa,” “Took His Time,” “Famous,” “Used 2,” and “What About Me.” This album causes you to be open minded and creative because he uses many metaphors, smilies, and word play. I recommend anybody over 14 to listen to this album, it is an inspiration that I feel everyone will connect with.