Best Movie: Avengers: Age of Ultron

The best movie of this year would be the Avengers: Age of Ultron. Some might put it off as a simple popcorn flick, but I feel like it deserves to be called more than that. Avengers: Age of Ultron continues the story of the Avengers but it also adds more character development that many felt was needed for some characters. The relationship between many of the characters, such as Tony Stark and Captain America, has changed, with them being initially at odds with each other during the first Avengers movie, but now cooled and relatively warm, with plenty of humor involved. The story and plot-line actually makes sense, unlike many movies that have frequent plot-holes and skips that make one wonder where this character came from or how this character did this. Although some events in the movie will be cliche and predictable, all in all, the Avengers: Age of Ultron is more than just a simple popcorn flick.If you're one of those people who want to see plenty of action, Age of Ultron has it. Want humor? Age of Ultron has plenty of humor. Want to see your favorite superheroes? Obviously, this movie has that. The movie's villain, Ultron, is a better villain than half the ones I've seen in many superhero movies. His intentions and motivations change and further develop instead of just being predictable "take over the world" schemes. His personality, albeit serious, can take a humorous tone from time to time, which makes him oddly easy to like, which is difficult for other villains and usually non-existent. I would recommend anyone to watch the Avengers: Age of Ultron as it is a fun, action-packed adventure that will have you on the edge of your seats. You simply won't regret it and it will be worth the money.

Best Video Game: Alien Isolation

No other video game has frightened me in the way Alien: Isolation has. It is simply fear-inspiring that it trounced other games in the survival genre. No other video game will leave you with a heavy heart rate and shivers in your entire body. Alien: Isolation takes into the shoes of Amanda Ripley, Ellen Ripley's daughter for those of you that haven't watched Alien. Amanda is sent to the space station Sevastopol to investigate her mother's disappearance. What she doesn't know however, is that a Xenomorph or the Alien, again for those of you unfamiliar to the Alien series, is already in the station. The basic point of the game is to get out of the station while at the same time trying to avoid the Xenomorph. The Xenomorph isn't just any video game AI however. Instead of being in a predictable, set path, the AI randomly roams the station and is attracted by sound or if staying in area for too long. The player is able hide in lockers, under tables, in vents, and is able to craft tools in order to distract or hurt the Xenomorph. The Xenomorph, however, will adapt to the strategy used by the player to evade it. If you hide in the lockers constantly, the Xenomorph will often search any nearby lockers. Players who frequent the vents will find that the Xenomorph will join them there more often. Flamethrowers that on first use will frighten the Xenomorph and cause it to flee, will no longer drive it back and will become useless. The Xenomorph is death made flesh, and error will cause death, again and again. However deadly it may be, it isn't the only thing that will kill you on the station. Malfunctioning androids will attack and kill you on sight and are only vulnerable to multiple shotgun blasts or a large amount of hits taken from a wrench. Human survivors also stalk the station, with many paranoid and afraid enough to threaten to kill you if you wander too close. These survivors are often armed to the teeth and will not hesitate to shoot. Should you decide to play Alien: Isolation, good luck.

Best Video Game Storyline: The Last of Us

When people think of video games, they usually think of simple shooters or beat-em-up games that are all gameplay and no story. The Last of Us is a masterpiece that will make many a gamer wonder whether he's at the movie theater or at his house playing a video game. The Last of Us is set in a dystopian post-apocalyptic version of the United States where much of the country has been ravaged by a fungal virus that causes the infected to die but be reanimated into deadly creatures. The virus is spread through bites or through fungal spores released into the air. The longer the infected has had the virus, the deadlier the creature he or she becomes. The story revolves around a man named Joel who is forced to help deliver a teenage girl named Ellie and the cure to the virus, to a rebel group. It might seem like the typical plot to a movie that revolves around "zombies" and the "undead" but it turns into something greater and deeper. Joel and Ellie's relationship changes vastly throughout the entire story, and their interactions with other characters reveal the depths of human nature in a society where survival is the of utmost importance. The characters aren't stock and generic but feel very human and alive. They resemble true people with feelings, hopes, regrets, and intentions and they're struggles feel as if you've stepped into their shoes and are experiencing what they experience. The developers of the Last of Us created a superior storyline that would be a box office hit were it a movie and undoubtedly have people crying for sequels. The Last of Us shows how savage humans are when the comforts of a normal, stable society are taken away from them, and how we are ultimately set to the survival of our own selves, regardless of the perils and struggles of others. The Last of us reveals the core of humanity and our truest nature.

Best TV Drama: Game of Thrones

My top TV show of the year would be Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is undoubtedly the greatest TV program in modern history. It sheds the tropes of typical fantasy with elves, dwarves, and other fictional creatures being absent and instead gives up characters who are truly human. Instead of archetypal heroes who are always just and fair and villains who are completely one-dimensional that it's just ridiculous. In Game of Thrones, we receive characters whose morality and intentions are very ambiguous that fans create elaborate theories just to explain them. If you're a fan of medieval fantasy, then the world of Game of Thrones will be one that you enjoy experiencing. Game of Thrones is mainly set a in a fictional continent called Westeros which is based heavily on medieval England. In Westeros there are Seven Kingdoms all ruled by one King who rules from the Iron Throne. Each Kingdom is ruled by a Lord who swears fealty to the King. These high lords are each served by other smaller lords who in turn swear fealty to them. These lords scheme for power, prestige, and greater position at court, with political power plays and wars not uncommon. Game of Thrones is, as it name says, a game for the throne. Decisions made at one point in the show will have consequences later on and characters will either face favorable or unfavorable problems based on their previous actions. Realism is kept in the show with it forgoing many tropes of fantasy such as orcs, demons, magic, elves, and dwarves. While there are typical fantasy elements such as dragons, these are kept to a minimum in order to create a world that despite being a different one from ours, is similar to ours. Game of Thrones is a masterpiece adapted from the brilliant mind of George R.R. Martin, the author of the book series A Song of Ice and Fire from which Game of Thrones is based on.

Current Event: Walmart takes stand against animal cruelty and overuse of antibiotics on farms

Walmart has announced that it wants its food suppliers to stop inhumane treatment of animals and overuse of antibiotics. Walmart, the largest food retailer in the US, said today that it would urge its suppliers to to support a new set of rules known as the "five freedoms" of animal welfare. The rules detail raising animals in environments that keep free from fear, hunger, discomfort, sickness, and confined spaces. It also urges suppliers to stop using antibiotics for growth purposes and to adopt voluntary FDA guidelines that limit the use of medically important antibiotics. :we believe that farm animals in our supply chain should be treated humanely throughout their lives and that the welfare of farm animals should be considered in selection of all production systems, practices, and technologies," Walmart wrote on its website. Walmart, one of the largest food retailers in the US, has made a major step forward towards the humane treatment of animals and the proper usage of antibiotics. Walmart follows McDonald's and Chick-fil-A in setting timelines for removing some or all antibiotics use.

The five freedoms are as following:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst - by providing ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.

2. Freedom from discomfort - by providing appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.

3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease - by ensuring prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.

4. Freedom to express normal behavior - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind.

5. Freedom from fear and distress - by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.

Free Post: What flag should humanity plant on other planets?

The idea that one day Earth will finally be at peace and united under a single government is something that interests a great many people. If such event were to happen, what would be the flag that humanity would plant on newly discovered planets as we spread throughout the stars? A graphic designer named Oskar Pernefeldt designed an interesting idea of one flag. His design is a blue field with a series of intersecting white circles. The design looks similar to the Olympic flag if you look at it at a certain angle. Pernefeldt chose the color blue to represent the ocean that covers the majority of Earth's surface. The rings interconnecting are supposed to represent all life on Earth and how everything is connected to each other in some way. This idea isn't something new, since people have been making imaginative flags since it possible to do. Now, some people believe that should the Earth be united, that we shouldn't have flags anymore, as flags are indicative of separate groups of people divided by social constructs. Basically, if we're united as one people, we shouldn't have a flag because flag in this case represents countries. I personally feel that if there was one human nation, then we should have one united flag, as this new flag will represent everyone on Earth. In any case, the future of Earth being united under one flag is still something that hopefully is attainable in the future. When humans start (hopefully we do) spreading throughout the stars, we need a flag to plant to represent humanity extending our reach. For the flag design, I like Pernefeldt's design, but I feel like it should have more symbolism.


Link to the article with Oskar Pernefeldt's flag design.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/18/8622411/international-flag-planet-earth-design-mockups

Current Event: European cars will automatically call emergency services after a crash

Cars in member countries of the European Union will now have an emergency call feature installed in them beginning in March 31st, 2018. The emergency system is known as eCall and would automatically contact emergency services in the event of a crash. In-car sensors, such as the car's airbags being triggered, would activate eCall and contact emergency services. eCall will be free of charge but would cost manufacturers 100 euros per car to have it installed. The EU expects eCall to lower emergency response time by 40 percent in areas with large amounts of traffic and 50 percent in rural areas. Several member states of the EU have voiced their objection to making eCall compulsory, believing that, ' the benefit of making eCall mandatory in all new cars does not justify the cost of implementing it." In any case, Erick Jonnaert of the European Automobile Manufacturer's Association has voiced that, "the industry feels that the final text strikes a good balance between saving lives and protecting data."

http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/29/8512845/ecall-europe-emergency-call-2018

Current Event: Chipotle becomes first major restaurant chain to serve only GMO-free food

Mexican fast food chain Chipotle will now only serve non-GMO, or genetically modified, food and will not use GMO ingredients in any it serves. Chipotle had previously been the first fast food chain to disclose all GMO ingredients in their menu in 2013. Chipotle's co-CEO Steve Ells told the Times, "Just because food is served fast doesn't mean it has to be made with cheap raw ingredients highly processed with preservatives and fillers and stabilizers and artificial colors and flavors. Chipotle's pork and chicken will still be fed GMO food but have been successful in replacing GMO ingredients like soybean oil with sunflower oil. Foods made from GMO ingredients have not been scientifically proven to be unsafe however. Chipotle seems to be marketing their exclusion of GMO ingredients in order to cater to the population who are wary of eating genetically modified food and want to know what exactly is in the food they are eating.

Free Post: Cannabis extract may help curb seizures in epileptics

A small study has shown that a marijuana-derived compound called cannabidiol or CBD, can help reduce the frequency of seizures in people who suffer from epilepsy. This falls into the topic of medicinal benefits of marijuana, in which many medicinal benefits have been studied and proven. If cannabis can help treat epilepsy, then it can help treat many different types of conditions. Once again, it has been shown that cannabis is extremely useful and does not deserve the reputation it generates among those who feel it is dangerous and should be illegal. Cannabidiol is taken from extracts from cannabis and is non-pysoactive, which means that patients who have been administered it won't get high. Simple compounds derived from cannabis that won't get a patient high looks very useful and hopefully more compounds are made and studied to see whether they have beneficial effects.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/13/8405215/medical-marijuana-cannabidiol-epilepsy-seizure-treatment

Free Post: World's last male Northern White Rhino kept under armed guard in Kenya

Calling northern white rhinos "extremely endangered", is an understatement. There are only five remaining northern white rhinos left on the entire planet, and only one of them is male. So, if this male dies, then the remaining females will no longer be able to procreate, effectively causing the extinction of this species. Sudan, the last male, is now being kept under 24-hour armed guard at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. 24-hour armed guard. That's what it's come to in order due to protect endangered species from dying out because of careless humans. These rhinos had a population of 20,000 in 1960. 20,000 rhinos to 5 rhinos in only 45 years. In only 45 years, humans have hunted down a single species to the brink of extinction. Imagine the fate of the human race after most animals have gone extinct and the only species left to exterminate is us. We need to take steps to stop poaching, habitat destruction, overhunting, or else little by little, more and more species will join those that no longer walk the Earth.

Current Event: South Carolina Police Officer charged with murder of unarmed black man

North Charleston police officer Michael T. Slager was charged with murder after a video surfaced in which Slager fired 8 times at Walter Scott as he fled during an arrest. This is only the latest in incidents which have resulted in the deaths of unarmed people at the hands of police officers. Slager had been involved in a scuffle with Scott as he arrested him for a broken taillight on his car during a traffic stop during which Scott opted to flee. Slager caught up to Scott and then the two proceeded to scuffle during which something appeared to fall to the grass. After a brief struggle, Scott is shot 8 times by Slager in the back as he is about 15-20 feet away. Slager had claimed that Scott had taken his taser but a witness's video recording of the incident contradicts this in which he is shown to pick something up from the sight of his initial struggle with Scott and proceed to drop it near his body, possibly the taser that he had initially used to restrain Scott. After the shooting, Slager is shown to stand over Scott's lifeless body which was left handcuffed face-down on the grass. A second officer arrives on the scene putting on blue medical glove but does not perform CPR. A third officer later arrives with a medical kit but also does not perform CPR. Another unarmed man killed by an incompetent and trigger-happy police officer.  This seems to have become the trend in police stops of black men by white police officers.

Review: Game of Thrones

After watching Game of Thrones, it undoubtedly earns its reputation and almost universal acclaim that it has garnered from its audience over the course of its 4 seasons. Even if one hasn't read the book series that inspired the show, it can be a riveting experience. Game of Thrones forsakes usual TV show tropes in the sense that there is no fixed main character, no one hero who the entire show focuses on. There is a huge cast of many different characters, many of whom, albeit being considered to be part of the main cast, aren't protected from dying on screen. Many fans fear for their favorite character, as the show writer's ruthless tendencies are never predictable. Game of Thrones's fantasy setting makes it a great choice for people who love fantasy but its realism also should attract those who generally aren't interested in the fantasy genre. The world of Game of Thrones, created entirely by George R.R. Martin (the author of A Song of Ice and Fire book series, upon which the show is based off), is a vast and exciting world, one that closely mirrors our own. The show's characters are undeniably real, not simple one-dimension characters that are hard to relate to. Instead of being given stereotypical black and white labels such as "hero" or "villain", many characters have motivations that aren't clear, and can't easily considered to be a good guy or bad guy, as people like to put it. If you're the type of person who likes a show full of intrigue, mystery, and warfare, then Game of Thrones is your show. It will keep you at the edge of your seat and never fail to disappoint.

Current Event: A bus powered by poop will soon open in the UK.

In Bristol, UK, a public bus that runs on biomethane gas produced by fecal matter and food waste will enter public service in March 25th. The bus will be available 4 days a week to commuters who opt to take it. Fecal matter and food waste being used as a source of sustainable energy is a brilliant idea  for a renewable and alternative energy source and can prove as an alternative to fossil fuels. This source of fuel is easily renewable as people poop all the time and are known to waste food and simply leave it to rot. Piles of waste can easily be scooped up to be decomposed into biomethane gas will can help lower pollution in cities and areas that have large concentrations of waste treatment plants. In short, hopefully the idea that GENeco came up with can spread to other cities and countries and possibly being to replace fuel sources that are known to cause pollution and are potentially harmful to the environment.

Link to the article: http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/20/8263973/poo-bus-bio-bus-bristol-geneco

Alien Isolation Reviews Reflection

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/10/03/alien-isolation-review

After reading this review, I strongly felt like the reviewer was being biased towards the video game. Alien Isolation is a survival horror game meant to invoke a sense of fear and helplessness in the player. It's not a game to be rushed and Ryan McCaffrey, the IGN employee who reviewed Alien Isolation, comes out as not being a regular player of such types of video games. He complains about the video game being difficult when he chose to play in the hardest difficulty and chose to "marathon" it, meaning he rushed throughout the entire game and didn't experience it how it was meant to. All in all, I feel like McCaffrey's rating of 5.9/10 is simply annoyance at his lack of competency in playing this genre of video games.

http://www.gamesradar.com/alien-isolation-review/

David Houghton of Gamesradar's review of Alien Isolation does the video game justice as he gives an unbiased review of the video game that summarizes the game's entertaining qualities that deems it worthy of a 4.5/5 rating.  He clearly has experience with the survival horror genre and instead of rushing through his time limit to finish the game, he took his sweet time to enjoy the experience Alien Isolation can give players.

http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/alien-isolation-review/1900-6415897/

Kevin van Ord from Gamespot's review is not as praiseful as David Houghton's but cites his reason for his 6/10 rating of Alien Isolation solely to gameplay factors and not his own errors and difficulty playing the game.  I may not agree with his rating but his judgement is sound and is his opinion which I respect.

Free Post: School lunch

School lunches leave a lot to be desired. Anyone who regularly eats lunch at school probably understands where I'm going with this. School food isn't tasty. It may taste good occasionally, but most of the time, we're given cheap, processed food that looks like it could be prison food (not literally). Some schools might serve their students food that at least looks like you'd want to eat it, but most schools don't even want to. At times, there might be something that's served that seems to actually taste and look like real food, but these times usually end being a day or two each month. The quality of the food isn't just what's lacking. The amount served is rather poor as well. Chicken nuggets are often given in small servings of just 4 or 5, which is not enough to give students enough energy to continue with the school day. I've known people who still complain about being hungry after having eaten lunch. Schools should spend more money to give their students better quality food and serve adequate servings.

Current event: Alaska legalizes pot. The country should follow.

Alaska just became the third state after Colorado and Washington to legalize recreational pot. Alaskans can now enjoy a joint inside the luxury of their homes, which is to pot users might be the only downside to the new law legalizing pot. Regardless of where a person in Alaska can smoke their marijuana, it's another step in the right (at least, right in my opinion) direction. I'm all for marijuana legalization for both recreational and medical use. Although I personally don't use the stuff, I believe that those who do should be able to freely smoke pot without having to go through all the trouble in order to get it, secretly smoke it, and all under the danger of getting arrested for having even just a very small amount. If cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, beer, and all those type of things are legal, why can't weed, pot, however you know it by, be legal? It's less dangerous than the stuff I just mentioned. A lot of my friends and people I know smoke marijuana. I have family members who use the stuff. I wouldn't want them to be arrested and sent to prison for a year just for having a gram of pot. The benefits of legalization are enormous too, when you look at the amount of money it can bring in for state revenues. Pot should be legalized in all 50 states, period.

Link to the article about Alaska legalizing marijuana: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Alaska-becomes-3rd-state-with-legal-marijuana-6097962.php#photo-7565419

Introduction Post

My name is Derek Flores and I'm a 16 year-old student from Spring Woods High School in Houston, Texas. My interests are sports, music, video games, movies, books and basically anything I find interesting, so expect me to write about a multitude of subjects in this blog. I tend to be blunt with my opinions on subjects, so please don't be offended by anything I may write concerning a particular topic. Feel free to comment on any of my posts and leave a request if curious about my opinion on a particular topic.