Kara Marlowe

December 9, 2024

“Stardew Valley” is an RPG where you inherit your grandfather's old farm in the small town of Stardew Valley. You start with some hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you also get some free seeds to start making money. You learn to live off the land and turn your overgrown plot into a thriving farm, and maybe get married in the process. However, there is a new business in town that is almost like Walmart which is trying to turn the town's community center into a warehouse. If you repair the community center you can beat the business and remodel it as a movie theater. “The town is full of opportunities and with a little dedication you can restore Stardew Valley to greatness.” (Stardew Valley Wiki)

In the game, there are twelve marriage candidates to choose from, six males and six females. Some of the marriage candidates are Alex, Harvey, Shane, Penny, Leah, and Emily, each has their storylines and special cutscenes. Each candidate even has their likes and dislikes but there are even universal likes and dislikes. Some other things you can do are community upgrades that can give Pam a house and give the town shortcuts so that you can get places more easily. 

There are also seasonal events that give the player something to do but also provide the player with items they wouldn't be able to get otherwise. Such as the rarecrows which are scarecrows that are very rare to find. During these events stores will be closed and all the homes will be locked, although the spa, community center, and movie theater will be open even if you don't go to the festivals. 

Works Cited

“Stardew Valley Wiki.” Stardew Valley Wiki, 23 September 2024, https://stardewvalleywiki.com/Stardew_Valley_Wiki. Accessed 5 December 2024.

Raymond Byars

December 9, 2024

On December 3, 30 years ago, Sony released the first PlayStation console. What started as a failed collaboration between Nintendo and Sony for an add-on to the SNES, once Nintendo backed out of the deal, Sony went and made their own console, the PlayStation. At a STAGGARING 104 million units sold, Sony was set in stone to become one of the 3 big pillars of console gaming alongside Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo. Then in the elusive year of 2000, Sony released the current best selling console in history, the PlayStation 2. At 159 million units sold, it is the highest selling console in history alongside the Nintendo Switch, and the Nintendo DS. At a disappointing launch of the PlayStation 3, and then the uproarious launch of the PlayStation 4, Sony sits comfortably now with a moderate success of the PlayStation 5. With some very good games such as Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Remake/Rebirth, and The Last of Us 1 & 2, Sony has a combined total of 607 million units sold for all of it’s consoles, sitting it alongside the gaming hall of fame with Xbox and Nintendo forevermore.

Work Cited

https://www.playstation.com/en-us/30th-anniversary/.

30th Anniversary | Thank You

Image: https://variety.com/2024/shopping/news/where-to-buy-astro-bot-sony-ps5-dualsense-wireless-controller-online-1236128417/

Destiny Dinger

December 9, 2024

The film “The Grinch” was released on November 9, 2018. “The Grinch” was Illuminations eighth fully animated film and was based on Dr. Suess’s holiday classic. An updated version of the older Grinch made in the 2000’s, this movie is more of a cartoon and sticks out to a younger audience. “The Grinch” tells a story of a green grouch who is out to steal Christmas and all the Whoo’s Joy. This was until one who named “Cindy Lou Who” goes out to fetch the Grinch in hope to have everyone together for Christmas. On the way to Whoville seeking nothing but revenge for his childhood, the Grinch goes out dressed as Santa to steal Christmas presents, lights, trees, and everything of joy in Whoville. The Grinch and his dog Max soon go back to their cave after completing a holiday heist that he believed would be the biggest of the year. After feeling a sense of being complete, the Grinch soon hears singing down in town. The Whoos, despite everything being gone, still connect hands and sing, causing the Grinch to rethink his choices. At the end, the Grinch learns the true meaning of Christmas and sits and has dinner with people he would have never sat with and then finds himself a true family. 

Citations: 

(“The Grinch (2018) - Plot - IMDb”)

(“The Grinch - Production & Contact Info | IMDbPro”)

“Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch.” Universal Pictures.

Kamryn Heerschap

December 9, 2024

Last week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the Carolina Panthers at the Bank of America stadium. The teams played in the Panthers hometown known as Charlotte, North Carolina. Unfortunately, the Panthers lost 23-26. The game initially started out pretty well for both teams as the Panthers had one touch down and two field goals while the Bucs had one touch down and one field goal. As for me, I was pulling for the Panthers and was at the game that day. It was an amazing experience to see in person. Everyone in the crowd cheered and each person was on their seat waiting for the next touchdown. At the end of the 4th quarter, both teams were tied 23-23. We went into overtime for 10 minutes. The Bucs started off with the ball and didn’t score any, therefore giving the Panthers the ball. Neither team scored for the first 7 minutes of overtime. However, the Bucs came out on top with a last minute field goal which their kicker, Chase McLaughlin made. At first, it was safe to say the Panthers had won when the clock was at 30 seconds and they were leading by 3 points but sure enough the Bucs made a final field kick tying the score. It’s safe to say that even though the Panthers lost the game, they played well and honestly did the best I've seen them play in awhile. 

Works Cited

Mount, Randy L.

Tell, Yand M.

Kara Marlowe

November 22, 2024

“Good Pizza Great Pizza” is a game that has been trending for a couple of weeks now, so I decided to check it out. My first impression of the game reminded me of the Papa Louie games where you made food for your customers. Upon further inspection, I realized that the game has a little more freedom than the Papa Louie games because it feels like I can place things however I want and still get a good review on the pizza I make. In the Papa Louie games, if you make a small mistake it takes a toll on your review and messes with the tips you get. In “Good Pizza Great Pizza” if you make a mistake you will either have to give a refund or get a bad review on an app called Pie Chart and your overall evaluation shows what you pay for rent, so if you have good reviews then your rent will be like eight dollars rather than ten or more.

 Papa Louie and Good Pizza are very similar but very different because of the way everything is drawn, the way things are cooked, the other orders, and more. In the game’ there is a shop to decorate the place and even change the walls, you can buy toppings and things to help you place the toppings, and last but not least you can decorate the outside of the shop. There are some ads but they are not long and give you a break from it all. Overall, the game is pretty good though I'll rate it a 9/10 because I feel more free to make decisions than I do in the Papa Louie games. Some of the things in the game can be overwhelming but after a while, it isn't anymore and you get used to the idea of the game. 

Citations:

Good Pizza, Great Pizza, https://goodpizzagreatpizza.com/#portfolio. Accessed 22 November 2024.

“Papa'a Pizzeria.” Papa's pizzeria, https://fliplinestudios.fandom.com/wiki/Papa%27s_Pizzeria. Accessed 20 11 2024.

Raymond Byars

November 22, 2024

Throughout time, across many different cultures and religions, the idea of having things you shouldn’t do has progressed throughout time. The most well-known of these things are the Seven Deadly Sins. However, unknown to many people, is the eighth deadly sin. It is up to each individual person to make sure they do not fall for any of these sins, and I believe that religious or not, it is worthwhile to learn and be better with each of these sins.

The sins are as follows:

The Deadly Sin of Lust: The desire to have excessive sexual or romantic relations.

The Deadly Sin of Gluttony: The desire to have more of something than needed. 

The Deadly Sin of Envy: The desire to have things that others have because they have them.

The Deadly Sin of Sloth: The desire to not put in any effort in anything.

The Deadly Sin of Greed: The desire to have excessive money, power, or influence.

The Deadly Sin of Wrath: The desire for revenge by excessive anger.

The Deadly Sin of Pride: The desire to be recognized for how great you are.

The Deadly Sin of Sorrow: The desire to be free from the pain in your life.

Within each human is the capacity to push beyond the limits imposed upon you by these desires. If one looks inside themselves, finds the strength within themselves from their bonds and their own heart to break free from the chains of captivity, and become something truly worthwhile.

Destiny Dinger

November 22, 2024

In 1940, the first McDonalds was a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. Known worldwide today, McDonalds has had a serious outbreak of E. coli this year. The E. coli outbreak started on November 13, 2024, and affected tons of people. It was said to be the onions that may have caused this outbreak but is a low risk to the public. Mcdonald's quarter pounder burger was the main focus at the beginning of the outbreak. Since then, there have been many people who refuse to go. The outbreak didn't just hit McDonalds but also Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Burger King. Most recently there have been over 104 counts of cases, 34 hospitalizations, one death, and affecting 14 states. It is said if you start to have symptoms contact your healthcare provider immediately because of how serious this could be. Always keep up and be aware of the outbreaks in your local fast food restaurants because it could cause an unwelcome surprise to you and could be critical to your health. 

Citations:

Outbreaks of E. coli Infections. (2024, October 22). E. Coli Infection (Escherichia Coli). 

FDA investigates onion supplier in McDonald’s E. coli outbreak. (2024, October 25). [Video]. NBC News. 

DCHS-CDE--Communicable Disease EPI--5100. (n.d.). 2024 E. coli Multi-state Outbreak Linked McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. Washington State Department of Health. 

Raymond Byars

November 18, 2024

Across the universe, one of the things that separate humanity from other life forms on the planet and beyond is the ability for us to form pacts on a deeper level than imaginable. The capability to form contracts of the heart; they are the foundation for a true rehabilitation of the soul. The people you form bonds with are the ones that shape your cognition of reality. 

The world is not a material one, but one based on cognition. For example, a shoe to a human is protection for one's feet, however to an animal, it could be a home, or a chew toy. All are correct; it is all based on cognition. The world is the same. Each being on this planet from the big to the small, from the mind to the matter, the world is all cognition. Each being has the power to solve their own problems using their own cognition. And the first step is to build bonds.

With each bond you form, you can learn both about yourself, the person, and the people around you as a whole. Seeing someone who has first hand experience with different forms of trauma can help expand your empathy, and give you further drive to push harder and be better for yourself and for them. It also contextualizes a lot of life that way. For example, seeing someone who has gone through a horrible sexual assault, if you can connect and understand what happened to them, you can empathize and maybe even help not only with their problems, but others as well.

All it takes is a conversation, being open and honest with yourself and others, and be willing to expand your circle of trust. That is how you can rip off the mask that society has placed upon you, and become more than what you are.

Kamryn Heerschap

November 18, 2024

On Monday, November 11, at 7:30 in the morning in Asheboro, NC, police received a phone call and on their way over to the source of the call, they found out David Davis (39) was killed. Suspects had also already left the scene at the time of arrival. This incident occurred at 64 Skill Games, located across from Planet Fitness on Dixie Drive. Officials said that they cannot release any information about the suspects during this time of investigating. Officials interviewed Bill Kearns, who actually is my uncle, how he felt about the situation. Kearns said, “I would really love to see that go away and go back to a family retail shopping center.” Before the skills games came, their shopping center was popular and many families enjoyed going there, however  things have changed now. Others also feel that the area isn’t reaching its full potential due to the gambling center nearby, which can attract unwanted crowds. Back in 2020, 6 “gambling places” were raided by police in Asheboro, including this gaming business and yet it's still open. “What do we need to do, get this either run right or shut down.” Kearns said. Many are agreeing with this and believe that an incident like this shouldn’t happen again. You can search this up online and learn more as updates come through. Please be aware of your surroundings and be cautious about where you're going. 

Citation

https://www.wxii12.com/article/navy-veteran-killed-at-asheboro-gaming-center/62874249 

Kara Marlowe

November 18, 2024

Throughout the years, “Flamingo” also known as Albert Aretz, has had multiple YouTube channels around playing Roblox. These channels will be referred to as “arcs” because there are three to talk about. Arc One is his first YouTube channel;  there isn't much to know about this channel because he never really told anyone the name of it, but it was his childhood channel.  Arc Two is his second channel, Most of the videos are deleted except two because the rest were so adult that he was forced to delete them. However, some people reuploaded the episodes, and they are up for anyone to see. This channel's name was Albertsstuff, and while it's still up, there isn't any new content and there will continue to not be any new content.

Arc three is his current channel named Flamingo. He has had this channel for 7 years and has 13M subscribers. This channel started as a child-friendly channel, but recently he has grown up with his audience and has started acting more crazy, making his subscribers go up. Last but not least is his newest channel. I'm not going to count this as an arc because he has only posted one video on it and it isn't a Roblox channel. It is a channel where he just talks about things. It doesn't have a set topic that he talks about, but it's usually something he is passionate about and the channel is not kid friendly. Hopefully, Albert will upload more videos on his new channel and we get to see this new side of him.

Citations

“the entire history of Flamingo, i guess.” YouTube, 5 December 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4QgL4wTBLE. Accessed 12 November 2024.

“Flamingo.” YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/@flamingo. Accessed 12 November 2024.