Category Archives: Entertainment

Movies/TV/Theaters

Hawkeye review

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By: Eva Olson

In the new Marvel TV show, ‘Hawkeye’, a new character is introduced into the MCU, Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld. She and Hawkeye must team up to defeat a villain trying to kill Kate because she was forced to wear the Ronin suit from ‘Avengers: Endgame’ to stop an attack.

I loved how sarcastic and witty Kate was with Clint and other characters. Kate and Clint had a really funny dynamic. Her backstory was very interesting and I liked how it was tied back to previous movies.

It was interesting how a character from the Marvel TV show, ‘Daredevil’, was incorporated into the show. I liked all the plot twists and unexpected turns in this show. It really kept you intrigued because you couldn’t binge watch it when it came out considering its episodes were only released once a week on Wednesdays.

To watch this show you do need to have watched some Marvel movies, especially ‘Black Widow’, ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and ‘The Avengers’. A character from ‘Black Widow’ makes an appearance and this show finishes off the cliffhanger in the ‘Black Widow’ post credit scene. There are also many references to these movies.

I would also recommend watching this sometime around Christmas, because Christmas is integral to the storyline. They did a good job of making it festive but not completely revolving around Christmas.

This show did a great job of showing how Clint is doing after Natasha’s death. It gave Clint and his family more screen time which was fun to watch.

Overall, I really liked this show and would recommend it to Marvel fans. It was really entertaining and I loved all the new characters. I would give it a 9.5/10 rating. You can watch this show on Disney+

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Doctor Strange – Multiverse of Madness’ trailer

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By: Salman Said

The official trailer of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ has arrived, and fans are excited. The trailer was the number one trending video on YouTube. The movie is directed by Sam Rami and is set to release on May 6th, 2022.

It takes place chronologically after ‘Spider-Man No Way Home’. *If you haven’t watched the new Spider-Man movie, spoiler alerts are in place*. The movie’s main-conflict revolves around the collapsing multiverse after Dr. Strange fails to make everyone forget Peter Parker is Spider-Man (in order to save the multiverse from collapsing he made everyone forget who Peter Parker was altogether).

In the trailer, we see that his actions had detrimental after-effects, and now many different characters are entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe like America Chavez. Her powers allow her to enter different multiverses and it looks like she’ll be playing a big role in the movie. We’ve already seen both previous Spider-Men and their respective villains, but now it looks like they aren’t the only ones arriving.

The movie trailer opens with Doctor Strange waking up from a nightmare; interestingly, the villain of the film was speculated to be Nightmare, but after COVID pushbacks and a change of directors, it appears that the initial storyline line and antagonist might’ve changed. Nightmare was Doctor Strange’s original enemy, and his powers include manipulating the dreams and nightmares of those he haunts (like Freddy Krueger). He also has complete control over the nightmare world he creates, as well as conscious control over the bodies of those he possesses. However, a shift of setting in the trailer reveals another plot line altogether without him.

During the trailer, we see Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), played by Elizabeth Olsen, who we haven’t seen since ‘WandaVision’, the hit Disney+ series. She’s become a scorned mother on a mission to find her children again, potentially in the multiverse itself after losing them. The last time we’d seen her she was mastering chaos magic and had fully embraced her sinister side. In the trailer we heard an unsettling and ominous comment made by her to Doctor Strange, “You break the rules, you become the hero. I do it, I become the enemy.” The statement appears to be a set-up for the heartbroken mother to do whatever it takes to find her children, even if it means destroying the multiverse itself.

The Fox-Disney merger was a big topic back in 2019 and something all Marvel fans were excited about. Finally the MCU got its prized characters back including the X-Men, Fantastic 4, and the popular red anti-hero Deadpool. This adds to the excitement that fans already had when we saw Deadpool interacting with MCU’s Korg during a trailer for Ryan Reynolds’s new movie, ‘Free Guy’. It’s been almost 4 years since the merger and fans are wondering when we’ll get to see these characters team up with our favorite MCU characters.

The wait might not be as long as we think, because during the trailer we hear the voice of Patrick Stewart, also known as Professor X, the leader of the X-Men. This has many people wondering if the multiverse opening has allowed these characters to arrive in the MCU just like it had with Andrew Garfield and Tobey Macguire’s Spider-Men.

Though it’s all speculation, many fans are excited to see characters like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier, or another Iron Man played by Tom Cruise.

Nonetheless, many moviegoers are thrilled about this film. It has the potential to pull in enormous numbers at the box office, as we witnessed the latest film ‘Spider-Man No Way Home’ hit the $1 billion mark in global sales, making it the first movie to do so since the pandemic began two years ago.

Marvel has had a significant influence on the film industry, and it’s clear that many fans are delighted to see their favorite actors and actresses perform their iconic characters on the big screen.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Nappily Ever After’

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By: Samera Adams

‘Nappily Ever After’ is a Netflix movie. The movie consists of different sections. Each section identifies a part of the main character’s hair journey.

The movie starts with the main character, Violet, as a child playing by a pool. She is the only kid that’s not allowed in by her parents. Then one of the little boys in the pool asks her to jump in. Without hesitation she goes in for the dive, not knowing what would happen to her hair.

Her hair fizzed up. She was now getting teased by all of the other kids in the pool. Her mom then grabs her and shoves her in the car and never looks back.

Fast forward to the first section called “Straightened”. Violet is grown now. Her mother came over early in the morning because Violet found a ring box in her boyfriend’s pocket. They then proceed to do her hair to get ready for her “surprise” proposal.

On Violet’s way to work, right before her dinner, she gets sprayed with water by children playing. She then freaks out and runs to a nearby salon.

While getting her hair rinsed, instantly her hair falls out. They then figure out that the little girl who helps out gave her a relaxer instead of shampoo.

She was angry and they proceeded to put a weave in.

Dinner rolls around. Clint, her boyfriend, pulls out the box that they found earlier. She opens it. It is not a ring. It’s a dog chain. He got her a dog, not a ring.

They break out into an argument. Violet then realizes that he isn’t going to marry her because she doesn’t get out of her comfort zone. She’s “too perfect”.

Out of all the stress she shaves her hair.

She realizes that her straightened hair was society’s reflection on beauty.
The movie then goes on to Violet trying new things to her hair, appearance, attitude, etc.

This movie was meant to be a confidence booster. I didn’t reveal too much information about the movie, just in case, y’all would like to watch it.

It gets a 5-star rating because it shows that you are enough.

Travel/Food

The misconception surrounding saturated fats

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By: Yussuf Omar

Saturated fats are often portrayed as this evil we must all avoid, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The main thought is that saturated fats are bad for heart health, clogging arteries, and causing heart disease. This misconception stems from a study released in the 1970s called “The Seven Countries Study.” Unfortunately, this study is viewed like a gospel on fat and that’s where the issue stems from.

Important factors like sugar consumption, exercise levels, drug rates, stress, and diet weren’t taken into account at all; nations with data that contradicted the conclusion were also conveniently left out. The study had access to the data of 22 countries but didn’t include any of the populations that consumed loads of saturated fats with minimal cases of heart disease.

Governments decided to run with this study and shortly afterwards the hate campaign towards saturated fat started. Saturated fats were replaced with added sugar and salt, which when over consumed are much worse than anything saturated fats could do to you.

But lately studies showing the positive effects of saturated fats have come to light, highlighting how the brain is composed of 60% fat and how cells need lipids (fats) to build their cell walls. However, these crucial functions in our body can only continue to work with saturated fat, therefore the avoidance of it will only negatively affect your health.

But, like all things in life, it’s only good in moderation. Of course the overconsumption of it won’t be good for your health, but any food item over consumed isn’t good for your health.

The bad rap that saturated fats get is rooted in ignorance, and the only way we move forward from these archaic beliefs is to seek out knowledge and critically think for ourselves. You aren’t required to go out of your way to seek saturated fats, but the best thing to do is to quit demonizing the few you see around and work on moderation.

Editorials/Student Voice, Travel/Food

The detrimental effects of the FDA’s leniency on dangerous substances and ingredients

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By: Haroon Yonis

The FDA is a federal organization that focuses on food safety and health. It regulates our foods/drugs and makes sure what we consume doesn’t harm us. 

As US citizens, we are right to assume this organization will do their best to prevent harm from coming to us through seemingly harmless foods. 

Yet, there are many controversies surrounding the FDA and its peculiar leniency in banning cancer causing agents; ingredients that have been banned in the EU, and practically every country in the world, yet the FDA continues to delay banning these harmful ingredients, many of which have been proven to cause cancer and many other terrible diseases.

A great example of this, is the group of food dyes commonly found in many household foods: Yellow 6, Yellow 5, and Red 40.

These food dyes have been scientifically proven to cause cancer. The specific cancer causing chemicals in these foods are: 4-aminobiphenyl, 4-aminoazobenzene, and benzidine.

Not only do these food dyes cause cancer, they also cause vomiting and an uncontrollable itch when they are given to certain individuals. Also, young adolescents are more susceptible to these conditions when consuming the dye.

These dyes wouldn’t be an issue if they weren’t prevalent in popular and household foods such as Froot Loops, Doritos, and Jello.

Millions eat these foods every year, and the FDA continues to claim the chemicals in these dyes are safe. Yellow 5, 6, and Red 40, have been banned in the United Kingdom, France, and many other countries. The dye is even illegal in countries such as Norway and Finland.

This is only a single example of the FDA’s failure at keeping US citizens safe. There are thousands of other chemicals that are still allowed in the US, despite the obvious risks and effects associated with them.

Now, the questions that arises are:

  • Why does the FDA continue to allow such foods to be sold in the market, when their sole purpose is to regulate these foods?
  • And: How can we as a country prevent these foods from reaching our children and communities?

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Books/Art

3 books you need to read

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By: Jessica Garcia Saligan

Why do I recommend these books?

Well, the reason why I recommend these books is because I’m a person that hates reading and these 3 books are books that caught my attention, and I think they will catch your attention also.

1st) ‘The Child Called “It”‘

The first book I recommend to read is ‘A Child Called “It”‘. It’s based on a true story. The book is about a kid living a normal live with his family; he had a beautiful family then all of the sudden it all went down hill. His mom wound act different when his father would go to work. She would mistreat him, she would make him starve, and his only escape was going to school where his mother wouldn’t do anything him.

During school hours, he would steal his classmate’s lunches while they were at recess. His teacher noticed that he would go to school everyday with the same clothes and even more bruises, so he made a report to the principal’s office and his principal called the police…you won’t believe what will happen next!

2nd) ‘Wonder’

‘Wonder’ is a book that is based on a real life incident. The book is about a boy that is 10 years old, who had facial anomaly. His name is August Pullman, and his whole life was a lie. He was always homeschooled because his parents were scared to put him in a public school for his facial anomaly, and they were scared for what others kid would think about him.

Ever since he was a kid he always wore an astronaut costume everywhere. At some point he convinced his parents to let him go to a real public school. He met this little boy that would stand up for him when his other classmates would just make fun of him.

3rd) Holes

The third book I recommend is called ‘Holes’. ‘Holes’ is a book that is about a boy that is cursed, by a curse, that was placed on his great-great- grandmother. His name is Stanley. Stanley gets bad luck by the curses in his family and he gets sent to an camp called Green Lake. Green Lake is a juvenile detention camp that is located in the middle of nowhere in Texas.

Stanley was put in the juvenile detention camp for a crime he did not commit. Stanley and the other juvenile kids are made to dig large holes everyday in the dry land, and they also barely get food and water. They get a gallon of water and every 3 hours the truck of water comes to fill up the gallon. Stanley has a hard time while he’s there because of the kid’s bullying him, until he finds a good friend that treats him very well.

Tech/Games

Why has the ‘NBA2K’ neighborhood become worse and worse over the years?

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By: Abdirahman Ege

‘NBA2K’ neighborhood is a game mode where you walk around, in basically a map, which has a bunch of courts on it, and you can wait on the spot, to play with randoms or your friends.

‘NBA2K15’, ‘NBA2K16’, ‘NBA2K17’, and ‘NBA2K19’. These games all had unique playing styles (like you could have different dribbling styles), they had unique neighborhoods (like you could play in different regions of the world), nice cosmetics (like you could get new clothing), etc. The 2K community loved these games.

After ‘NBA2K19’, the game got worse and worse. They brought out the same neighborhood from 2K19 into 2K20, the gameplay in 2K21 is broken (too many glitches in the game), in 2K22 defense is garbage but the offense is way too good, etc.

The 2K community had enough of this, so they tried to talk to the developers of the game but they wouldn’t listen to the community.

A lot of content creators of NBA2K stopped making content on it. They all said that the game is unplayable and that the devs need to make a better game.

The developers of NBA2K are just money hungry. They don’t want to put in the effort into making a good game. For example, in the game there is a shop where you can buy things with real money. The cost of one piece of clothing in ‘NBA2K’ is 10,000 VC (virtual currency) which is equivalent to almost $10. This is outrageous for a virtual piece of clothing.

I myself has stopped playing the game due to it being garbage.

Music/Concerts

Super Bowl Halftime Show 2022

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By: Julia Swee

The Super Bowl is notably one of the most famous events in America. Families from all over the country come together to watch the football game, and a lot of the time people will host parties to view the game with their friends. A huge part of the Super Bowl is the guests they have for the halftime show. The halftime show is a pretty big deal, and even if people don’t necessarily like to watch football, most will still watch the halftime performance. 

For this year’s Super Bowl, the special guests performing were famous rappers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, as well as featured guests Kendrick Lamar and Eminem. This year’s show was the third straight show to be co-produced by Roc Nation, an entertainment and sports company founded by the famous rapper Jay-Z.

Dre, 56, took the stage first as he opened with his 2000 hit single “The Next Episode”, featuring Snoop Dogg. Dre had become famous with his rap group N.W.A, as they set the template for ‘West Coast gangster rap’ with their 1988 album ‘Straight Outta Compton’.  Dre had gone on to become an in-demand producer and businessman, as his last personal album was released in 2015. 

After the opening performance by Dre, fellow rapper Eminem took to the stage to perform his number one hit “Lose Yourself”. The performance featured rapper Anderson.Paak on the drums and as the song ended, Eminem knelt on his knees while Dre moved to the piano to play the chords to his most famous song “Still D.R.E.”

As they were finishing up, artists from New York took to the stage to perform. 50 Cent arrived to perform his version of the 2003 hit “In Da Club”, followed by Mary J. Blige performing her two most beloved anthems; “Family Affair” and “No More Drama”.

After Blige, Kendrick Lamar took the stage, the youngest performer in the show at the age of 34. According to The New York Times, in 2018 Lamar received a Pulitzer Prize for his music, specifically his fourth album ‘DAMN.’, which Kendrick performed songs from. This album was famous for tackling issues of race, faith, and the burdens of commercial success. Overall, the performance touched many people’s hearts as they came together to view the country’s most famous social event.

Editorials/Student Voice, Travel/Food

Is the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Deluxe the hidden pathway to health?

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By: Ashley Harris

Is the McDonald’s “Quarter Pounder Deluxe” the newest health food? Health is defined differently in every country and even in every household. Some people might say “Low carb is the healthiest diet!” While others might argue that “Plant based is the healthiest diet!” Although each of these has great possibilities, they both lack at least one of the five macronutrients needed in a well-balanced and sustainable diet.

What are the five macronutrients, you might ask. Well, according to the Nutrient Department at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts; In a well-balanced meal, you need one of these five macronutrients: Carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins (most commonly found in fruits and vegetables), and whole grains.

When someone thinks of a well-balanced meal, their mind will most likely drift to a salad or something of the sort. While this meal is great for getting vitamins and possibly protein; that is only 2 of the 5 necessary macronutrients.

Whereas, If we look at the “Quarter Pounder Deluxe” from McDonald’s, we see a bun, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, meat patty, and pickles. In this meal, you will find carbohydrates in the bun; protein in the meat patty and cheese; vitamins in the lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles; fat in the cheese, bun, and meat patty; and whole grains in the bun.

Now some might argue that this still isn’t a well-balanced meal due to the grease or artificial ingredients, but no diet is well balanced or sustainable without allowing your body the things they crave. Remember, health isn’t always about improving physical health but improving mental health as well. As well-known nutritionist, Anupama Menon once said, “Make your food routine easy on yourselves, eat what you make in the kitchen, eat enough. Discipline lies in balance, not in deprivation.”

So, is the McDonald’s “Quarter Pounder Deluxe” really the worst food for your health?

Editorials/Student Voice, Travel/Food

How food apartheid affects lower income communities

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By: Haroon Yonis

A food apartheid is when a community has no access to healthy food or grocery stores in their area. Food apartheid are an underlying issue in many of our communities. It differs from a normal food desert, in that it specifically relates to race. The lack of healthy, available food is a concern we must address. 

Many of these communities lack access to reliable transportation, so when these lower-income communities are affected by a food apartheid, they are virtually powerless. As a result of this, they tend to resort to lower quality frozen foods that are sold at their local convenience stores. The effects of eating such food, over a long period of time, is extremely detrimental to the human body. This causes health issues to be more prevalent in these areas, and can include obesity, heart disease, cancer, and a plethora of other health issues. 

Food apartheids do not occur coincidentally, as they are racially motivated. Many of these areas have a large minority population, and as result of past discrimination, tend to have a lower overall salary then their higher-income counterparts. Grocery stores notice these statistics, and single out these marginalized communities, purposely not building their stores in these areas. As a result, this causes a lack of healthy and accessible foods in those regions.

An unfortunate local case of a food apartheid, is the Frogtown community that many Minnesota residents are familiar with. Grocery stores are almost non-existent in this area, while there are a multitude of convenience stores in the region. 

According to the Minnesota Compass website, the median income in the Frogtown area is $38,103, with approximately 69.4% of the population being minorities. The percentage of residents who have vehicles is quite low too, which makes it harder for these individuals to have access to the grocery stores in areas such as Midway and Highland. 

Many families realize this, and begin feeding their children foods that are riddled with GMO’s, chemicals, and concerning ingredients. Even if they desired to eat healthier, this simply wouldn’t be possible due to the area having almost no grocery stores.

So, how do we improve the accessibility of healthier foods in these marginalized communities?

The first step to solving this crisis is by acknowledging that it exists. Afterwards, we can find which areas are being purposely targeted, and start improving the flow of healthier foods in those highlighted areas.

Eventually, we can start building grocery stores in these areas, so families who lack reliable transportation can easily make the walk or bus ride to these stores. But in order for this to be possible, we as a community must come together and make this a reality.