Category Archives: Entertainment

COVID-19, Movies/TV/Theaters

2011 film ‘Contagion’ compared to COVID-19

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In 2011, the film Contagion was released. The film is about a virus that, started in China, and spread rapidly throughout the world causing people to get sick and die.

This description is eerily close to the current 2020 pandemic that’s caused by COVID-19.

Starting off, both the viruses attack the respiratory system and have extremely close symptoms. According to cdc.gov, the COVID-19 symptoms are: cough, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and/or new loss of taste or smell. 

In the film, Dr. Mears, a doctor from Minnesota, is given the job to investigate the virus but ends up catching the virus. Her symptoms were that she couldn’t breathe very well and had a tight chest. She was coughing a lot and she had fever along with chills. She didn’t go into more depth, but in the film, you can see other people that caught the virus shared the same symptoms and died usually by seizure.

Next, both viruses came from bats. There is no clear answer as to how COVID-19 started, but most scientists say, and believe, it started from a virus that bats carried and then transferred to someone from Wuhan, China. This then developed into something more dangerous that was passed onto other humans. 

In the film, a fruit had fallen from a bat’s mouth into a pig pen. The pig then ate the fruit and there, the virus started developing. The pig was then slaughtered and brought to a casino in Hong Kong, China where the cook touched the pig and didn’t stop to wash his hands before holding someone else’s.

The pandemic in the film and in reality both put the whole world in chaos and had extremely close similarities, but there were also things the film did differently. Beth Emhoff, the first case of the virus in the movie, went home to Minnesota and gave her family the virus. Her son passed shortly after she did, but we learned that her husband was immune. Currently there isn’t a known person that’s immune to the Coronavirus.

Also, in the film, people died within a day to 3 days of getting the virus, whereas COVID-19 seems to have a 2 week incubation period. People would get seizures and their mouths would start to foam as they die in the movie, but there hasn’t been any reports of seizures due to COVID-19.

Contagion and COVID-19 are extremely similar, but thankfully it’s not exactly the same. The film had it much worse, but the things leading up to the chaos were eerily close. 

Tech/Games

Are old video games just as good as new video games?

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In finding out if old video games are just as good as new video games, we have to cover many video games.

There are many points of view on this topic, and with evidence, this agreement could go either way depending on the game or even the system it is played on.

In what I have seen, I think old video games are just as good as new video games. This revolves around nostalgia; it is a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past. Even though old video games have worse graphics and other flaws, nostalgia fills in those flaws by having good memories about that game.

Also, old video games can be just as good as current games because of the characters, plot, or even they’re just as fun to play. And, according to a non-scientific study, old video games are actually slightly better.

There will always be good and bad video games, and older isn’t really better or worse than current video games.

In the end, it depends on how you determine “better or good.” Do you want better graphics? Do you want an interesting game play? Want tactical combat? These are only some of the things you can base your opinion around.

In my opinion, old video games are just as good as new video games.

Image taken from: https://vocal.media/geeks/old-school-gamers-unite-retro-video-games-rule-once-more
Movies/TV/Theaters

What to look forward to on Disney+

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It’s been six months since Disney+ launched, and it already has 50 million paid subscribers worldwide.

Even though COVID-19 has stopped production of their TV shows, we still have a loose outline of the shows and movies coming out on Disney+ in the next year.

On the Marvel side of everything, Disney has many shows coming out in 2020-21. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is coming out sometime in August and a WandaVision releasedate has yet to be given, but it’s said to be coming out this year.

Besides Marvel content, Disney has also been working on Star Wars content. With the release of Disney+, they released the first season of The Mandalorian, which will be coming out with a second season in October 2020.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Parks and Recreation’

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Parks and Recreation is a 2009 comedy show about a woman named Leslie Knope working in the Parks & Recreation department of her local government in the city of Pawnee, Indiana. She believes strongly in government, unlike her boss, Ron Swanson, who believes all forms of government are a waste. The two main characters of the show are total opposites and are still friends, which leads to a lot of comedic interactions.

This show is made in a fake documentary style like The Office, so there are often random interviews with the characters so we get to see what they’re thinking. However, unlike The Office, the camera crew following them around is never addressed and never had any relevance on the plot; it’s just used to let the characters monologue.

One of the strongest points of Parks & Rec is the believability of the situation. There’s never anything supernatural going on; it always just remains funny with a few people working in local government. Not only that, but the plot progresses between each episode really smoothly, so you can see the cast always working towards a goal. However, each episode is also contained, so you can skip the episodes you don’t like on a second viewing and still understand what is going on. 

Another great thing about this show is the characters. Andy Dwyer, played by Chris Pratt, is an absolute treasure, and fills the role of the sweet man child that could not have been cast better. There’s also April Ludgate, who plays an apathetic intern whom Ron takes a liking to because they both hate their job. Ann Perkins is Leslie’s best friend, and they meet in the first episode during a public forum, which also kicks off the show‘s end goal: creating a park behind Ann’s house.

However, this show is not without its flaws. The only character that is really unique is Ron Swanson and maybe Andy, but Andy only works so well because he’s played by Chris Pratt. Also, this show can be a bit insensitive, specifically surrounding Native Americans. There is a gag in the show about the history of Pawnee settlers and Natives and how it was super bloody, and even though it’s played off in the show like it’s a bad thing, it still makes fun of it. Also, the only Native American in the show is a stereotypical casino owner. Parks & Rec isn’t racist or anything, but if you are sensitive about Native American history, then skip this show.

All in all, Parks & Rec is really good. The characters are really funny, you don’t really see repetition until the seventh, and last season (which you should skip), and the way the show develops is better than most television shows.

My final rating for this show is 9/10.

COVID-19, Travel/Food

Desserts to make during the quarantine

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By: La Dafia Dehaney

Looking for something to do or bake while under quarantine? Try these eight different desserts that will keep you busy and have you baking them over and over again.

  • Oreo Cake It’s a moist cake that is covered with Oreo whip cream frosting and is made up of chocolate layers with crushed Oreos in them.
  • Cheesecake is made of a mixture of Philadelphia Cream Cheese combined with eggs, flour, sugar, and water. The bottom layer of the cake is crushed crackers or cookies that you combine with butter and sugar. The toppings are usually strawberries or any type of berries. 
  • Trifle is an English dessert that came from England in the 18th century. This dessert is made with any type of fruit you want, and it has a layer of sponge fingers soaked in cherry.
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies originated in the United States. This dessert will include a dough that is made with butter and both brown and white sugar. You top it off with your pick of chocolate chips.
  • Ice Cream Cake is filled with ice cream and layers of sponge cake or cookie crumble in between them.
  • Apple Pie is just filled with apples that you combine with brown sugar and cinnamon and toss it up. It also includes a crust that you can make with water, butter, flour, and sugar.
  • Cinnamon Rolls are made up of a dough that is rolled into small portions and in between are sugar and cinnamon. You then bake it and top it off with some cream cheese and powdered sugar mixed together. 
  • A Banana Split is an ice cream dessert, it usually has a sauce of chocolate, strawberry, or caramel that you drizzle over the ice cream. You finish up this dessert by topping it off with some whipped cream and a maraschino cherry on top.
COVID-19, Tech/Games

How can we stay connected while staying apart?

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Image taken from: https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/social-media

During this time of distancing and separation, lots of people have been having a hard time feeling like themselves while not being able to be with their friends. There are many different ways that we can stay in touch, while still respecting social distancing and stay at home guidelines.

The main way that many are holding on to some sense of normalcy, and staying in touch, is through social media platforms like: Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. These platforms are used by many, daily, to stay in the loop on important events in the lives of friends and family.

Another way that people are staying connected is through video messaging apps like: Facetime, House Party, and Zoom. House Party is an app like Facetime where the user can join group video calls through a free app that works on all smartphones, whereas Facetime only works between Apple devices.

Zoom, and other programs like it, such as Google Meets, have also grown in popularity over the last few months. These programs are not only how we get together to socialize, but many schools and businesses are also using these platforms to hold meetings and class time.

Writing letters has become more popular in the last few weeks, as an alternative to online communication. I think we all get at least a little excited when we get a letter in the mail. Care packages left on doormats are another kind way to let your friends or family know that you are thinking about them during this difficult time. 

We are all getting through this together. Other countries, and some states, are beginning to lift quarantine restrictions, so this is showing that we are slowly moving back to a semblance of normalcy.

Movies/TV/Theaters, Tech/Games

‘Pokémon’ overview

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Pokémon is an anime series based on the popular Game Boy game Pocket Monsters. It is centered on fictional creatures called Pokémon, which humans, known as Pokémon Trainers, catch and train to battle each other for sport. These children raise up to six Pokémon that they train to fight other Pocket Monsters.

The franchise has its roots in a gaming magazine in the early 1980s in Japan—Game Freak, started by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori. Tajiri was the writer, while Sugimori was the illustrator. Pokémon has since gone on to become the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, with $90 billion in total franchise revenue. February, 26, 1996 marks the debut of the Pokémon franchise in the form of both those games on the Game Boy in Japan. At the heart of Pokémon are the games Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green which were a very basic Japanese role-playing game. 

You play as a Pokémon trainer travelling the world and capturing every single Pokémon for research and putting into a Pokédex. A Pokédex is a digital encyclopedia created by Professor Oak, a CPU character. It is an invaluable tool to Trainers in the Pokémon world. The Pokédex can be used to give background or important information on a specific type of Pokémon that you have encountered. 

As you progress throughout the story you are training your Pokémon in battles against other Pokémon. Soon you find about Gym Battles which is a series of tough trainers you have to defeat to get to the Elite Four. The Elite Four is the top four strongest Pokémon trainers in the region. Then you face the champion, the top trainer in the region. Once you defeat him/her you become the champion and you win the game. After that you can play the game openly like a free world. There are multiple regions which relate to different Pokémon games like Pokémon Sun and Moon.

In all Pokémon has a lot of video games and tv shows. It is a really big and great franchise that is open to all ages. Depending on the game there’s a lot of customization and story development. I personally love Pokémon and any of their games are great and fun to play since you can play it competitively or for fun. They are still coming out with new games today with new Pokémon being added to the overall Pokémon in the game. 

Editorials/Student Voice, Tech/Games

The addiction of social media

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Zakianna Johnson

Introduction

There’s been many things going on in social media these days. But the addiction to the apps we all have is really bad. Apps like Snapchat, Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, etc. are all of our lives, especially teenagers.

How it affects our lives

Social media is like drugs; you get addicted easily. Everyone has some sort of social media on their phone. Whether it’s to stay in contact with friends or family, or to have a laugh or two. But we don’t understand what the effect is on our minds and bodies.

These apps are toxic, but we love them. We try to take breaks, but it doesn’t work.

My dad responded with, “I used to be really addicted to it. Like I used to not be able to sleep without it. But now I usually only go on social media when I do my live videos, and I speak on reality and show my family. You know, because I’m showing a side of me and my family and our morals and values.”

Tech/Games

Zoom

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By: Vivian S

During this time of social distancing, many things have changed and new services have gained notice and importance. One new company that has become well-known is Zoom.

Zoom is an app/website that can be used for video conferencing, which has become much more important now that nearly all meetings have to be held from home using a computer. While all of us are social distancing, many people have turned to Zoom to continue holding classes, seminars, and meetings.

You might notice that Highland Park Senior High is not one of those places using Zoom, and Self Service does not even allow you to download Zoom, so you may not have used Zoom yet.

As Zoom grew more popular, misuse of the app grew as well. People took to intruding into the meetings of others, and messing with the meeting. Some people even posted passwords to the meetings online so that more people would join in. These disruptions have been termed “Zoom-bombing” and they are probably the reason that SPPS is not using Zoom.

Zoom-bombing has become so popular and well-known that there is a Wikipedia page about it, which I was not expecting to find during my research.

Zoom has responded to these mass-disruptions and has been working to further secure meetings. On their website, you can find a list of tips of how to secure you meetings.

It seems like many video conferencing apps have been struggling under the weight of all the new users using video conferencing, and while Zoom is one of the most popular, other apps are also experiencing problems and are working to address them.

While more and more security issues are being fixed, we all just have to be aware of any possible security risks (such as a meeting being public – allowing someone uninvited to enter, or a password being shared on the internet) and take steps to minimize those risks with the services these apps are offering and improving.

If you want to hold a Zoom meeting, please read the security guide they provide here: https://zoom.us/docs/doc/Securing%20Your%20Zoom%20Meetings.pdf.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘The Office’

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The Office is a 2005 television show that revolves around a hilarious boss named Michael Scott and his efforts to run a branch of a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. This show is pretty popular, and you’ve probably heard about it before, and probably have seen it before too.

The show has a total of nine seasons, and what it does really well is distinguish them from each other. Looking back, you can remember moments from certain seasons because of how the characters acted in each season. This show is anything but repetitive, and the gradual shift of the characters throughout the show is one of the greatest things about it.

Still, The Office has a great idea of it’s humor through its characters. Michael Scott, the boss, is hilariously oblivious to everything around him. He has a certain kind of charm and always says the wrong thing in every situation, leading to all sorts of hilarious hijinks. The single worst part of The Office as a whole is when he leaves the show in Season 7.

There’s also memorable characters such as Jim and Pam, who have a will they/won’t they sort of relationship, because Jim likes Pam but Pam is engaged. Once again, this storyline develops naturally and is mostly resolved after season 4, so it doesn’t get old or unrealistic.

One of the more unique characters is Dwight Shrute, a paper salesman who is Jim’s rival/friend. Dwight is kind of hard to describe, but to sum it up: he’s a man with a lot of pride. He is also very gullible, and falls victim to Jim’s pranks all of the time, which always end up being hilarious and unique.

However, this show isn’t for everyone. It’s rated PG-14, and if you don’t like shows that deal with sex or cursing, this probably isn’t the show for you. However, it’s certainly not overrated like a lot of the haters of this show say. The plot is solid, the characters bounce off each other in a realistic way, and the show could easily drive itself on humor alone, but has several storylines that are entertaining in their own way.

My final rating for this show is a 10/10.