What do the pets do when we are not home?
A review of one of summer's greatest hits.
Victoria Maciel, Entertainment Reporter 
Wednesday, July 20th, 2016 

Photo: Illumination Entertainment 2016
The Secret Life of Pets may look like a family movie, but there is enough violence to make you want to think twice before showing it to your children.  Max, the dog, is the main star of the movie. Max’s owner goes to work, but she returns home with another dog named Duke, Max and Duke have a fight. These dogs find eventually join a violent gang whose mission is to kill their owners who they feel have abandoned them.  Included in the gang is a pig who has tattoos and a cruel viper. The viper gets killed because of a freak accident. The two dogs, Max and Duke take a boat to a different city. Duke gets stuck in a truck because animal control catches him.  Duke hangs from the edge of a bridge and Max saves him.  A truck had fallen into the water and they almost drowned, but in the end, a bunny comes to the rescue. 

This movie definitely has many plot twists and is very entertaining, however, you may need to reconsider showing this movie to your kids younger than 8 years. There is way too much violence and a disrespect for authority that carries throughout the movie. The fact that the gang of animals wants to kill their owners makes you wonder if this movie is more for adults. If you and your spouse or teenager are looking for a good movie, this would not be a bad choice.

From a 0 to 5 I give this movie a 3.5

The president and cast and crew of the musical, Hamilton. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The Music of Teaching
Hamiltonians in the History classroom 
Jazmin Guerra, Entertainment Reporter 
Wednesday, July 20th, 2016 

BROADWAY: Lin Manuel Miranda is the creator behind the famous 11 Tony winning musical Hamilton. This American musical is about the life and career of the first United States Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. This musical embodies the life of Hamilton through hip-hop and shows us the power of perseverance. This musical  takes place on Broadway in New York City. Hamilton premiered on Broadway on August 6th, 2015..
Hamilton is a musical where tickets get sold out rather quickly. Thousands crowd in lines, shoulder to shoulder, to attend the award-winning performance. People pay four hundred to thousands of dollars  watch the musical. Every night there is over one hundred people in the theatre waiting for the actors to come out and sing with their astounding voices that disturb the heavens. This musical is like a hammer swung gracefully into glass. It is breathtaking. The musical has also become a hit on Youtube as many can get a small glimpse into the musical without actually attending. Many educators have also began to use the music from Hamilton to teach about the history of the United States. Teachers have students engage  with the music in hopes of teaching them about United States history as well as the importance of character and the human condition. So the main question is: Do musicals, like Hamilton, make Learning easier for kids? ​

This musical replays the struggles Alexander went through, such as his mother passing away from an illness and being shunned by his father. .After the death of his mother, Hamilton moved in with his cousin who committed suicide. Offered a job in his early teens, he worked his way up and attended college due to his employer that believed in him. Later, Hamilton met his wife  Elizabeth Schuyler. Between 1782 and 1802 Hamilton and his wife had eight kids, miscarrying at least once. From 1789 to 1795, he worked for the American government as the first Treasury Secretary. Throughout his career, there was much tension between Hamilton and then Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. Eventually, this conflict would result in the creation of the first two political parties, the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists. In 1804. Hamilton died in a duel associated with Aaron Burr, a member of the Democratic-Republican Party.  

Hamilton’s story has captivated and inspired many including students of all ages. His story is unique, just like many of the children of today. Kids these days don’t like to sit in their classrooms and be bored to death while the teacher is talking about dead people in history. They want to learn something that makes makes sense to them  and someone to whom they can relate. Hamilton is the story of many of America’s kids. Many come from poverty and have to overcome many obstacles to survive and become successful. They overcome odds to be something in this nation and to achieve the American Dream. They are Alexander Hamilton. In addition, the music is upbeat, the characters have attitude that comes off through their voice tone and use of bad language. The kids can feel the heat between Hamilton and Jefferson throughout much of  the musical and relate it to their own relationships with school peers. The music leaves many students in awe. They’ve just experienced history in a powerful way that leaves them wanting more of this character.
As a student who just finished her 8th grade year, one of the most rigorous and challenging subjects that kids struggle with  is history, due to the pressure heavy amount of reading and writing involved in the state standards. My 8th grade teacher used the musical to teach the founding of our nation. My experience was positive because the catchy rhythms and lyrics stayed with me, even after I left the classroom.   To find out more about how Hamilton has been changing the learning experience of other students like myself, I conducted interviews.  I found four teens, three of whom had no idea who Alexander Hamilton was, had them listen to the songs from the musical on Youtube and then asked them about what they learned. Following the song clip, Miranda Conejo commented, “So this song says he was a son of a whore and that his dad left him. With that I think it says that his mother died along with his cousin.” Nathan Smith, another students stated, “The song states that he had a big dream to accomplish but people say that he was insane… and that his father  left him. Alexander was an orphan and that’s all I heard from this song.”  Another student summarized, “ Oh yea this song says his mother was a whore and that he his father abandoned him and his mother. Two year later his mother had died of sickness and his cousin took his own life. People said that he was insane because Alexander wanted to be successful in life but he had no support.  He was also an immigrant. When the woman says that they loved him, those women are Angelica Schuyler, Eliza Hamilton (his wife), and Maria Reynolds. Angelica Schuyler was the sister of Eliza and Angelica gave up Alexander when she saw her sister helpless face for Alexander at a ball. After that a man named Aaron Burr says ‘ and me? I’m the damn fool that shot him’. He was the one who killed Alexander while being in a duel. So that’s was this song said.”  These students comments show the historical understanding gained simply from listening to pieces of the musical. Imagine the outcomes if every U.S. History teacher played this for their students. Students would enjoy history a lot more and actually be more engaged in the classroom.  This is their shot! 

Information in this article was found from the following news sites: 

---

​A Mind's Craft
What is MineCraft, anyway? 
Luis Lozano - Entertainment Reporter (Edited by Jacob Hernandez)
Wednesday, July 20th, 2016

Photo from www.minecraftmods.com

SANTA ANA - Minecraft is a game where you need to survive the nights that are infested with mobs (monsters) by gathering supplies. Minecraft was first released on May 17, 2009 and was inspired by Infinicraft. You can play it on the desktop, xbox(or playstation), and on a mobile phone. It is fun to explore the world and try to survive, but it is even better to explore with friends.
​You can play with friends on a server. Modifications(mods) are a fun way to play Minecraft in a new way. You could play a Hunger Games style arena fight. Mods could also add things to your gameplay like new custom skins or teleporters styled like Floo network fireplaces from Harry Potter. With the mods, the ability to play with many people around the globe, and a whole world to build onto and explore, you’re sure to not get bored. The only limit is your imagination!

---

Pokémon Go Monomania: Nintendo has caught you all!
Stephany Gutierrez and Eva Ledesma - Entertainment Reporters
Wednesday, July 20th, 2016

Pokemon trainers, in other words Pokemon Go players, have become obsessed! They put themselves in danger, and have been the benefit of many businesses including the Nintendo Company. Pokémon Go is now available in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and is rumored to expand to India and Asia in the next few days. Since the Pokémon Company released the game, people of all ages are outside looking for Pokémon.

Within two days of its release, Pokémon Go has been installed on 5.16 percent of Android devices in the United States.  Just within 24 hours, it reached number one on the  App Store, beating out Slither.io and Clash Royale to become the biggest game of 2016.  Only three days after its release, Pokémon Go has attracted more daily users than Twitter. Six days after its release, Pokémon Go has attracted almost 21 million daily active users in the United States.

The stock market shows that the Nintendo Company is now worth about $12 billion more than it was a week ago. Nintendo's profit is expected to grow with it’s new availability and the new Pokémon Go Pro bracelet being released late July. It is also rumored that Pokémon Go is seeking sponsorship by certain restaurant chains such as Mcdonalds.The deal states that every Mcdonalds location in Japan will be a key location for players such as Pokéstops and battle gyms.
​
Obsession with the game has led to accidents and deaths. For example, on July 12, 2016 there was a 28-year old driver in Auburn, New York, who crashed into a tree because he was distracted when playing the game. Another accident occurred in Encinitas, California, on July 13, 2016,  where two men fell of a cliff while playing Pokémon Go.

According to the San Diego reporter, “They found one man had fallen 80 to 90 feet to the bottom of the beach, then found another man unconscious about 50 feet down the cliff.” The two men were quickly taken to the hospital with moderate injuries. On the evening of Thursday, July 14, 2016,  a rare Vaporeon appeared in Central Park, New York City.  Crowds of people ran and shoved each other as they went after a rare Pokémon. People were irresponsibly crossing the streets and some even getting out of their cars in the middle of traffic, abandoning their cars, to locate a Pokémon.  A video caught the chaotic scene and was published by the user “woodzys” via  Vimeo. Pokémon Go has been linked to many problems such as trespassing, car crashes, and even armed robberies.

So why is everyone obsessed? According to Russell Belk, professor of marketing at York University in Toronto,  “There’s several general motivations, one is that it’s a challenge, but it’s a challenge within a smaller world than generally succeeding in the world of business or a career, and so there’s a greater chance of success.” The fad has become so popular  that even celebrities are playing. John Mayer himself posted on instagram about his One Hundred dollar in app purchase. Will this Pokémon Go mania continue? Only time will tell.

Information for this article was found from various sources including the following: NewYorker Magazine, Edgadget.com, Twitter, Forbes.com, The Wall Street Journal, NBCNews/tech, Fortune Magazine, heavy.com, NBC San Diego, Indian Express, and Money.CNN