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Contents:

Making Healthy Choices - S.

Salsberry (pg. 1)

Bullying – D. Delgado (pg.1-2)

Paid Protesters – R. Moorhouse

(pg. 2-3)

DACA – K. Rasmussen (pg. 3-4)

Eating Fish is Worse Than You

Thought – N. Levie (pg. 4-5)

Ocean Pollution - M. Picone

(pg. 5)

The Turkey Trot – A. Drumm

(pg. 5-6)

NBMS QSA Club Reminder (pg. 6)

World Cup 2018 – R. Parham

(pg. 6)

Surviving a Nuclear Attack –

P. Lintzen (pg. 6-8)

Gaming:

Cuphead and Game Journalists –

D. Jordan (pg. 8-9)

Pixel Gun 3D - J. Metz

(pgs. 9-10)

Book Reviews:

Darker Shade of Magic – M. Shanks

(pg. 10)

Magnus Chase: The Ship of the

Dead – D. Delgado (pg. 10-11)

Movie Reviews:

Lost City of Z

Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Men

Tell No Tales

Dunkirk

- A. Koontz (pg. 11)

Cartoons:

The Adventures of Quest Philip

Ultra – J. Mothersole (pg. 12)

Publisher & Editor: P. Lintzen

Making Healthy

Choices By Shannon Salsberry

Making healthy choices can be

really hard. Unhealthy stuff can be

really tempting. There are healthy

ways to curb your cravings - I

suggest you try them.

Sweets: I love sweets! They are so

delicious! But they are REALLY

bad for your body. Extra sugar is

immediately turned into fat, which

can increase your risk of type two

diabetes, obesity, and more. On the

bright side, there are better ways to

satisfy your sweet tooth. Fresh fruit

has natural sugar and is also good

for you. So, whenever you are

craving something sweet, eat fruit or

something with low sugar content.

Take-Out: I know that take-out is

delicious, but if you eat it for lunch

or dinner every day you will become

ill. The usual menu at most take-out

restaurants are unhealthy, such as

McDonalds, Taco Bell, and Burger

King. Granted, there are take-out

places that aren’t that bad (Subway,

Sushi, etc.). But, unhealthy take-out

should only be for long road trips or

nights when your parents don’t feel

like cooking. Basically, take-out

should only be eaten once or twice a

week and if you have an otherwise

healthy life style.

Fattening Foods: Foods like

macaroni and cheese and

hamburgers are really good, but

really fattening. Bad fats (Yes,

there is such thing as good fat, one

word - avocados.) can increase

your risk of diabetes. Avoid these

foods as much as possible. If you

do eat these foods, you should

exercise after you have digested it

to burn off extra fat. Also,

something good to eat with your

unhealthy food is a salad. It will

help fill you up without that extra

fat.

Sources: “This is What Happens to

Your Body When You Eat Sugar” By

Anthea Levi

(http://www.health.com/nutrition/su

gar-health-effects )

Bullying By Diego Delgado

Bullying is a very serious problem.

According to the Centers for Disease

Control (CDC), “The statistics on

bullying and suicide are alarming:

Suicide is the third leading cause of

death among young people, resulting

in about 4,400 deaths per year.”

Iowa’s 12-year-old student, Alex

Libby, was brutalized in a video we

observed during our Physical

Education classes at New Brighton

Middle School. We watched the

horror a boy my age had to go

through. After watching the

documentary, “BULLY” by Lee

Hirsch, I felt horrible for the victims

of harassment - whether the

harassment was verbal, physical, or

psychological. The person I felt

worse for was that of 12-year-old

Alex Libby from the documentary.

Many of us can identify with similar

the experiences of Alex. Don’t get

me wrong, all these kids in the

documentary went through horrible

things and they all deserve a good

life. I know how it feels to be an

outcast and to not have friends, but

Alex had it far worse than me. A

The Viking Chronicles Volume 1, Issue 23 November 30, 2017

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documentary crew with cameras

picked up on Alex being strangled,

stabbed with pencils, punched, and

having things stolen from him.

Sadly, Alex laughed about this

because he thought it was a joke, but

inside he knew it wasn’t. He tried to

make friends, but the other students

cussed at him and gave him death

threats. They called him “fish face”

because of his appearance, which

was caused by his premature birth.

Alex was born at 24 weeks and the

doctors said he wouldn’t survive

more than 24 hours, but he did. He is

a miracle.

Fortunately for Alex, after the

documentary aired, he was socially

accepted and became popular.

I explained to you the living hell that

Alex had to go through so, you can

be more open to helping other kids if

you see them being bullied. You can

become a better person and

potentially save a life from torment

and possible suicide. In the

documentary “BULLY” they

reported that two kids had killed

themselves due to bullying.

Remember were all human and we

are all equal - no matter our

appearance, our race, our gender,

our sexual preference or whatever it

might be that makes us human.

Everyone deserves to have someone

to cherish or care about them.

So, go out of your way to sit with

someone or talk to someone who

may be having a bad day - you’ll

probably put a smile on their face.

Help someone who you know is

being bullied. There are ways to

prevent bullying that you could do.

You can tell an adult, you can

calmly talk to the bully, you can also

avoid participating in spreading

rumors or mean-spirited comments.

Unfortunately, many people would

call the person who told a teacher a

snitch, but if you are protecting

yourself or someone else, its doing

the right thing. If you don’t think

you can resolve the issue yourself,

go tell an adult. You shouldn’t be

scared of getting beat up or coming

to school - you deserve to have a

safe place to learn. If problems are

very serious, contact Mr.Broadhurst,

Mr. Wright, a teacher, or an adult to

intervene.

Paid Protesters

By Reilly Moorhouse

In May 2017, protesters gathered in

Charlottesville Virginia to protest

the taking down of a Confederate

Statue because the statue was of

confederate war general, Robert E.

Lee. During the Civil War,

confederate states were in favor of

keeping slavery. Ironically,

according to U.S. News, Lee was

personally against slavery - but still

chose to fight for the South.

Prior to the protest, a legally

sanctioned rally of conservative

extremist groups including White

Nationalists, neo-Nazis and Ku Klux

Klan members were protesting the

removal of Lee’s statue. According

to the Herald Sun, the group clashed

with protesters at the University of

Virginia in Charlottesville. The

group at the University included

liberal extremist groups, including

the Triangle People’s Assembly,

Workers World Party, Industrial

Workers of the World, Democratic

Socialists of America and the anti-

fascist movement who gathered

to unlawfully remove Lee’s statue.

Soon after, counter protest groups

like Antifa came and fighting broke

out between the two extremist

groups. People were fighting with

makeshift clubs and riot gear.

Multiple people were injured, but

none were killed. Afterwards, a right

wing protester, fighting for

conservative views, rammed his car

into a crowd, which killed 1 person

and injured 19.

Some people believe that groups like

Antifa are being paid to protest right

wing groups at protests and rallies.

There have been ads on Craigslist

for jobs to protest right wing rallies.

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In the beginning of January 2016

there was a Craigslist ad for “trouble

makers” that seemed to be anti-

Trump and anti right wing. Nobody

was sure if the ad was serious or not,

but the ad was soon taken down.

On some websites, like

flashmobamerica.com, you can even

hire a flash mob to go to any

location in America to represent

your cause. Evidence of the person

behind some of the liberal leaning

protests point to the extremely

wealthy investor, George Soros.

Soros has spent billions of his

dollars on left wing groups,

including Antifa, ACORN, Apollo

Alliance and Black Lives Matter.

While the Koch brothers are wealthy

conservative backers, evidence

points to Soros being involved in

protest groups, political action

groups, media companies, and

subversive international policy

manipulation according to

Humanevents.com.

Left wing organizers, people with

democratic and liberal views, were

also recruiting people to come to

Washington, D.C. to “... shut down

the inauguration of Donald Trump.”

Lifezette.com reported that the

protesters that came were offered

many incentives like free housing,

food, lawyers and legal assistance in

case of arrest. Training camps,

workshops, and media-encounter

events were also offered before the

large riot. NBC news reported

groups of protesters rioted through

Washington D.C., moving in one

mob of people wearing masks,

goggles, and gas masks so they

could not be identified and to

counter the effects of tear gas and

pepper spray. They smashed the

windows of a limousine, assaulted

the driver then set the limousine on

fire. They smashed the windows of a

Starbucks, a Bank of America, and

then the windows of a second

Starbucks inside the Crown Plaza

hotel. The same group broke the

windows of a police car, attempted

to smash through a police line, and

injured an officer. About 234 people

were arrested. The protesters were

then provided with legal help from

an unnamed legal fund.

In June 2017, an alternative rights

group protest occurred in Central

Park, New York. The staging of

William Shakespeare’s play “Julius

Caesar” was disrupted. According

to Salon.com, Mike Cernovich (a

self- proclaimed member of the

alternative right) put up a YouTube

video of himself offering cash to any

protesters willing to disrupt the play.

In his video he said that anyone that

“...would do enough harm” to get

escorted out by security would get

$1,000.

Extremist views have really divided

our country and adding financial

incentives to protesters does not

help. The main issue with paid

protesting is that the group that is

protesting may not be protesting

because they truly care about the

issue. It's likely that they are

participating so they can get a

financial gain out of it and, any

people that truly care about the

issue, might protest differently and

feel misrepresented by these

protesters.

Unfortunately, extremist groups on

both sides are interfering with the

basic rights we have all enjoyed,

including freedom of speech and

freedom to assemble. While it is

important we are allowed to express

our views and to voice our

grievances against perceived

injustices, we need to do so legally

and while respecting the rights of

others.

DACA By Korinne Rasmussen

If you were under the age of 31 on July

15, 2012 then you were able to request

help from a program called DACA

(Deferred Action for Childhood

Arrivals). If you first came to the

United States before you were 16,

without documents or through a formal

immigration process, then you are

considered an undocumented

immigrant. There were around 11.3

million undocumented immigrants in

the United States as of 2016 according

to USA Today.

The DACA program was formed by

former President, Barack Obama, in

2012. This program allows certain

people, called Dreamers, who came to

the U.S illegally as minors to be

protected from immediate deportation.

Recipients can request “consideration of

deferred action” for a period of two

years - which is then subject to renewal.

The application cost is nearly $500, and

permits must be renewed every two

years. The application and renewal

process can take between 2 to 3 weeks.

Here's an important question; what if

you or one of your family members is

denied and must go “back home,” and

leave their house, family, friends or

jobs? What if you have spent your

whole life in another country, but are

suddenly forced to return to your

country of birth? How would you feel

about that? Personally, if I was in the

situation of possibly having to go back

to my country of birth after I lived in

another country for my entire life, I

would not be happy. But, there's

nothing these people can do besides go

protest or go “against” what the

government is saying. Perhaps there

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could be other solutions to this

situation.

If President Trump demands an end to

DACA (not saying he is going to but, if

he ever does), it would mean many

people would be deported back to their

country of birth. How does the

government intend to deport all these

people? Will only different skin colored

people have to go? Will only different

skin colored women have to go? The

government’s position is that high risk

criminals, who are illegal immigrants,

should be deported first. Who would be

deported next?

Someone’s future may depend on their

original country of residence or where

the person has legal status. The original

country’s immigration and border

protection laws can also have an effect

on a person’s future. It is different for

everyone. Some people will be lucky to

stay, and others can be banned from

reentering the U.S for up to10 years.

According to a New York Times article

from March 6, 2017, the people living

here without permission from the U.S.

government are mostly Hispanic and

Mexican. These people crossed the

Southwestern border in secret. In the

eyes of others, they are families and

workers taking the jobs nobody else

wants. Most stay out of trouble and earn

their way to better, safer lives for

themselves and their children.

Unfortunately, the DACA recipients

live in uncertainty with unknown

futures. They are never certain if

their applications will be renewed, if

their extensions will be granted, or if

Congress will revoke their status and

begin sending them back. It is

certainly difficult to live as a DACA

recipient and maintain a positive

outlook.

Eating Fish is Worse

Than You Thought By Nicholas Levie

Think again before you chew that

piece of fish. That one bite of tuna

could contain mercury. By eating

that roll of sushi, you could be

destroying a whole ecosystem. You

could even be contributing to fish

depletion. These problems are

happening right now as you are

digesting that piece of salmon. Your

health, along with the numbers of

fish in the ocean, could be dropping.

Health issues, overfishing, and fish

farming are happening right now

because of us. If I were you, I would

want to stop, immediately.

Eating fish can cause loads of health

problems and, in my opinion, health

outweighs the advantages of eating

fish. Most of the fish that you love to

eat contain mercury. According to

the NRDC Mercury Guide, King

Mackerel, Marlin, Orange Roughy,

Shark, Swordfish, Tilefish, Ahi

Tuna, and Bigeye Tuna all contain

high levels of mercury. If you do eat

these fish, maybe consider what

mercury can do to your body. Health

Line states that mercury in adults

can cause negative vision changes,

muscle weakness, nerve loss, trouble

walking, and more. Mercury in

children can affect speech, language

development, cognition, and visual-

spatial awareness.

Many fish can also contain BPA.

BPA, also known as Bisphenol A, is

a chemical used in plastic products

that can cause harm to a human. Fish

can eat plastic in the ocean that

contains BPA, and the BPA will get

into their system. Once you eat the

BPA infected fish, the BPA can get

into you. According to Scientific

American, 93% of all Americans

carry BPA in their bodies. BPA can

cause heart disease, diabetes, and

liver failure. I certainly don’t want

that in my body!

For many years, the population of

fish has been decreasing drastically.

The populations of fish in many

popular fishing locations have even

been driven close to extinction.

Places such as Newfoundland, where

cod is nearly entirely extinct. One

main reason this is happening is

because of overfishing. People have

been taking too many fish and are

just expecting populations to rise

back up again. But, one day they

will not.

Destruction of coral reefs is another

a big concern. Boats are scraping on

the top of coral reefs, breaking off

pieces. Nets are also getting caught

on coral and breaking it off when

they are pulled up. Chemicals used

in sunscreen are also doing

considerable amounts of damage to

coral reefs. According to NPR, a

chemical called oxybenzone in

sunscreen has already killed 80% of

the coral reefs in the Caribbean.

Something else to think about is the

effect of fish farming. Farm fishing

is raising fish in fish pens to

eventually kill them. It is just an

easy way to kill fish, without going

out into the wild. Basically, you are

“cheating.” These fish in the farms

are fed many things that would be

harmful to regular fish in the ocean.

According to Food and Water

Watch, fish food, fish waste, and any

fish antibiotics will sink to the

bottom of the cage and pollute the

sea. Then other sea animals could

eat it. You can imagine that it will

not be good for the fish. If these fish

escape into the wild they could

breed with wild fish and spread

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illness. This alone could destroy a

whole ecosystem.

In conclusion, eating fish is bad in

more than one way. Not only

because of health reasons, but also

because of the things that are

happening because of the high

demand for fish. Most people like to

eat fish because of all the protein

and vitamins. But, just one piece of

fish could likely contain some trace

of mercury and BPA. And most of

the fish we see in the stores today

are very likely to be farmed. We

could stop all this by simply not

buying fish. If there is no demand

for fish, farms will be forced to

close. This would make our world so

much better.

Ocean Pollution

By Megan Picone

In Monterey California, there are

many threats to our precious bay.

Although the Earth's oceans are

suffering from pollution, different

groups are doing their best to keep

the Monterey Bay sanctuary clean.

Plastic is commonly found in our

oceans and there is obviously a lot in

our own waters, as the organization

“National Marine Sanctuaries”

states. An even worse thing about

plastic is that it doesn't break down

naturally for a very long time.

Plastic takes hundreds of years to

break down fully. In 2016, Monterey

Bay Aquarium workers encouraged

people to vote yes on proposition 67.

The proposition bans the use of

plastic bags. After the voting was

over, proposition 67 won and the use

of plastic bags has been limited.

Monterey Bay is a sanctuary for

hundreds of animals and some of the

species are on the verge of

extinction, for example, the sea otter

has been suffering from pollution for

years. Plastic in our oceans is a

significant threat to marine wildlife

like fish, turtles, seabirds, and

whales. Not only do animals get

tangled in the plastic trash like six-

pack rings, plastic bags and

abandoned fishing nets. They also

think the plastic is food, so they'll

eat it and it will cause them severe

harm or death. Since plastic takes so

long to break down, we could be

eating the microscopic pieces of

plastic that are found in the fish.

Another problem for our water is

marine debris. It enters our ocean in

many ways. According to Ocean

Today, it comes from intentional

littering and dumping. Marine debris

is sometimes indirectly generated in

cities hundreds of miles away from

any ocean. When someone litters on

the street or parking lot, rainwater

can move the trash into storm drains

that empty the trash into streams,

rivers, and other bodies of water.

Another big cause of ocean pollution

is improper waste disposal. This is

caused by people carelessly

disposing of waste, otherwise known

as littering. Marine debris doesn’t

only come from land, it also comes

from the water too. People on boats

sometimes throw their trash

overboard or trash can accidentally

fall, blow, or wash off vessels into

the water. Sometimes commercial

vessels lose their fishing gear from

passing storms or rough waves.

We have polluted plenty of rivers,

lakes, and other bodies of water.

Some of these polluted waters were

once healthy and used as a source of

water. They most likely were

polluted because of humans being

inconsiderate or irresponsible.

There are plenty of ways to help stop

pollution by being responsible. You

can also help by going to the beach

and clean up the trash or by

throwing plastic in the recycling bin.

Another thing you can do is get

paper bags or cloth bags when

buying something from a store.

Preferably you should buy a cloth

bag because it's reusable, unlike a

paper bag. Also, it doesn't come

from trees. Remember, we are all

responsible for the health of our

waterways, oceans, and

environment. It all starts with a

simple responsible act.

The Turkey Trot By Alex Drumm

Every year since 1970, in November,

our school has been doing a 1.6 mile

run from the gate to the back of our

school, in a circle, and back. It is

known as the Turkey Trot because it

is in November, the same month as

Thanksgiving.

The Buffalo Turkey Trot (said to be

the oldest footrace in America) was

what gave our school the idea of our

own Turkey Trot; The Buffalo

Turkey Trot was first run in 1896.

Our school made our own in 1970,

and after that, our idea was passed

on to the Turkey Trot in Silicon

Valley.

The Turkey Trot at new Brighton is

a sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade

race with different grades starting at

different times. The day of the

Turkey Trot takes place using the

assembly schedule to allow an hour

for the race to take place. It begins

6

during seventh-period and goes until

the end of school. All teachers lead

the students outside and they begin

the race. There are prizes for top

three boys and girls of each grade;

the prizes are all pumpkin pies. Even

if you are not the best runner you

still get a prize! Everyone who

participates in the race gets a

popsicle. This year, the Turkey Trot

winners were 6th graders Madalyn

Price, Nola Salazar, Julia Inkeles,

Samuel Braun, Nathan Perry, Dylan

Williams, 7th graders Avery Conley,

Scarlett Edgar, Suntali Donahue,

Brody Staley, Matthew Kim, Tony

Hernandez, and 8th graders Sierra

Long, Danika Marlatt, Serena Crane,

Nick Edmonds, Parker Sousa, Nick

Graessle.

Wayne Fontes, the co-founder of the

Capitola Wharf to Wharf run, had

been the person who timed our

Turkey Trot for many years. Sadly,

Fontes died on December 28, 2016

at the age of 91.

NBMS QSA Club

Reminder

The New Brighton Middle School

Q.S.A. (Queer, Straight, Alliance)

brings students of all sexual and

gender identities, including allies,

together to meet new people, support

one another, feel safe, and speak out

for diversity. We want to be the cure

for bullying through acceptance. Our

activities will reduce isolation and

depression; we are one of many. We

are Q.S.A. The club is meeting on

Wednesdays 12:07 – 12:37 (7th and

8th grade lunch) in Room 36, Ms.

Bell’s room. 6th graders who join

will be given homeroom passes so

they can stay the whole time. If you

need support, please come to the

club and we will try to help.

World Cup 2018 By Rowan Parham

As you may or may not know, the U.S

men’s soccer team was eliminated from

the 2018 World Cup. Do you wonder

why they were eliminated? On Tuesday,

October 10th in Couva,Trinidad., the

U.S and Trinidad/Tobago were playing

a “head-to-head” World Cup qualifying

game. In an upset, Trinidad/Tobago

beat the U.S. 2-1. The U.S. has had a

team at every World Cup since 1986.

So, how did this happen?

The U.S. had fallen behind in their

game with Trinidad/Tobago 2-0, with

one goal being an “own goal.” The

U.S. may have been slow because of a

recent 4-0 win against Panama. The

U.S. knew they could pass through to

the next round with a tie and another

loss by Panama. Unfortunately,

Panama did not lose – but this is where

some controversy happened.

Panama was playing Costa Rica at the

same time as the U.S. was playing

Trinidad/Tobago. Costa Rica took an

early 1-0 lead. However, in the 52nd

minute of the game, Panama’s Gabby

Torres scored a late goal, but the debate

is whether Gabby Torres made the goal.

Video, footage clearly showed the ball

not going in according to CBS

sports.com. Ramon Torres of Panama,

with 2 minutes left in the game, scored

the game winning goal.

Many felt this was unfair and has kept

the U.S from going on or having a

chance at attending the World Cup.

Many are surprised the referee did not

catch the missed goal, but they didn't.

Many U.S fans are very unhappy that

their team isn't going to Russia for

World Cup 2018. While, on the other

hand, Panama is going to Russia.

My personal opinion is that the goal

shouldn't have counted. When Gabby

Torres slid in with the ball, a Costa

Rican player slid in and blocked it

which prevented it from crossing the

goal line. Technically, the ball must

cross the line to count as a goal and the

ball didn't cross the line.

Part of the game of soccer is respecting

the referees and their decisions – even

those that end up being incorrect. As we

know they world isn't perfect, and

people make mistakes and we have to

accept that. Additionally, the U.S did

not help their chances by losing to

Trinidad/Tobago, so the result is they

are not going to the 2018 World Cup.

Surviving A Nuclear

Attack By Paul Lintzen

Q: How high are the chances of

surviving a nuclear attack?

A: Your chance of survival really

depends on the distance between you

and the spot where the nuclear bomb

goes off. The direction and speed of

the wind also play an important role.

Irwin Redlener, a pediatrician

specializing in disaster planning,

states “... if you're in the half-mile

radius of where a nuclear bomb went

off, you have a 90 percent chance of

not making it. If you're right where

the bomb went off, you will be

vaporized instantly. Two-mile

radius, you have a 50 percent chance

of being killed instantly, and up to

about eight miles away somewhere

between a 10 and 20 percent chance

of getting killed.”

Q: What can I do to raise my chance

of survival?

A: The most important thing is to

prepare beforehand and inform

yourself on what to do if one of

these bombs were to land near you.

If you value your eyesight it is

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important not to look directly at the

blast. As tempting as it may be,

looking at the blast will result in

either temporary or permanent

blindness. Now, if you didn’t look at

the blast and can still see, you

should move perpendicular to the

wind to leave the area where a lethal

amount of radiation from the

mushroom cloud that has gone up

will come down in the next 10 to 20

minutes. When you realize that any

bomb is about to go off near you,

you should keep your mouth open to

avoid blowing out your eardrums. If

you are very close to the explosion,

duck and cover.

Q: What should I do if I can’t leave?

A: If for any reason you are unable

to evacuate, you should go into the

nearest shelter and stay there. Any

story above the ninth floor or a deep

basement will do as a shelter. Above

the ninth floor you have a chance of

survival while at ground level you

are as good as dead. However, the

best place to go if there is a nuclear

attack would be into a bomb-shelter.

You can purchase a readymade

shelter or build your own but,

whatever you do, the most important

thing to remember is to have as

many layers of concrete, sand, dirt,

or other materials between you and

the radiation. To shield the

occupants of a shelter effectively

from radiation the shelter should be

at least 3 feet underground. One

layer of sandbags can mean the

difference between survival and

death. From my research I

concluded that there are no public

bomb shelters near Santa Cruz.

There are some caves in the state

that could be used as shelters, but

those are, sadly, all over 160 miles

away.

Q: What are some things I should

keep in my bomb shelter?

A: Some of the things you should

always have stocked in your bomb

shelter are food, water, potassium

iodide, a long-lasting light source,

buckets, trash bags, toiletries, and a

small emergency radio. In terms of

what food, you should consider

stocking up on most sources

recommend beans, flour, rice,

potatoes, canned foods, and military

ready to eat meals (MRE’s).

The potassium iodine tablets are

important because, if taken

immediately after the explosion,

they can protect you against cancer

from the radioactive iodine the

explosion caused. Do not confuse

potassium iodide with the similar

sounding potassium iodate!

According to the website

Nukepills.com, “Several internet-

based companies have been

marketing potassium

iodate (KIO3) for radiation

protection in place of potassium

iodide (KI). Though the names are

similar, the products are very

different, and the US Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) has

expressed serious concerns about the

safety and effectiveness of iodate,

and the fact that its manufacturers

are not in conformity with FDA

rules to assure safety, quality and

purity of the product.”

Nukepills.com further states that the

FDA has been successful in

removing potassium iodate tablets

from most stores, but they are still

available on the internet from

untrustworthy websites.

You will need a light source because

you probably don’t want to spend

your days in total darkness. The

buckets, trash bags, and toiletries are

all for keeping you and your living

space clean. It would be very

unpleasant to spend days with

human waste and trash all over your

shelter, and you may become very

sick from the waste. Some of the

toiletries you may want to store in

your shelter are toothbrushes,

washcloths, body wash, shampoo,

tissues, toilet paper, and wet wipes.

If you do not have running water in

your shelter you will want to get

even more washcloths and wet wipes

to keep yourself clean. To filter your

water, Pure Water Freedom states,

“The best solution may be the one

used routinely to treat water at the

Savannah River Site. The process

combines activated carbon, reverse

osmosis, and ion exchange. If one

doesn't get the iodine-131, an

isotope of iodine that emits

radiation, two others have a chance

to capture the radiation through

other means.” Possibly the most

important thing to have in your

shelter is a small radio that is easily

powered. A radio with a hand crank

along with other ways of charging is

the best way to go. A hand crank

radio will allow you to tune in to

important government messages

wherever you are. Even if you have

no batteries, you’re in the dark, and

you have no way of charging the

radio, you will still be able to use it

if you have enough strength to crank

a crank. A radio like this can save

your life many times over. For

example, if you tune into

government channels you will know

when it is safe for you to leave your

shelter and you will also be able to

check in with neighbors with radios

to see if they are ok.

Q: If I can evacuate, what types of

things should I wear?

A: This is not a question of what

clothes should you wear to look best

with a background of screaming

people and toppled buildings. It is

more of what should I wear to stay

8

alive. The important thing to do is to

keep as much of your skin covered

while you are exposed to radiation.

You should try to have as many

layers of “stuff” between you and

the radiation. However, as soon as

you are in a safe place you should

remove all the clothes you were

wearing while outside and wash off

with hot water and soap if possible.

The faster you get the clothes off

and get the radiation away from your

body the better. You do not have to

wear ten rubber suits and a gas mask

to survive a nuclear attack. If you

keep your skin as covered as

possible and remove the clothing as

soon as it is safe - you should be

fine.

Q: If I have the choice of evacuation

or sheltering in place, which should I

choose?

A: In theory you should get as far

away from the radiation as possible,

but this can be difficult when the

whole population of your city or

town is trying to get out at once.

There is likely to be many traffic

jams. The choice to stay or leave

depends on your proximity to a large

road leaving the affected area of

where the bomb went off. To help

you decide I have listed some pros

and cons of both choices. If you

choose to evacuate, and are stuck in

traffic, the radiation may come down

and kill you before you ever make it

out. However, if you do make it out,

you will be much safer further away

from the radiation. In comparison, if

you shelter in your bunker or

basement, you are much safer from

the radiation than if you were in a

car. Though, if you become ill or run

out of food and water you will die

anyway. Then again, if you make it

out, you will have nowhere to go,

and you will most likely not have

much water or food either. The point

I am trying to make is that neither

choice is going to be perfect. So,

really, there is no one answer to this

question and it is up to you what you

will do.

Q: What are some potential targets

for a nuclear attack?

A: According to Ready.gov some of

the main targets in a nuclear attack

would be strategic missile sites,

military bases, centers of

government (such as Washington

DC), and state capitals. Also among

this list would be important

transportation centers,

communication centers,

manufacturing centers, industrial

centers, technology centers, financial

centers, petroleum refineries,

electrical power plants, and chemical

plants. Major ports and airfields

would also be targeted. Silicon

Valley, which in the last few years

has grown to one of the richest urban

areas in the US, might be a target of

such attack. Sciencealert.com states,

“For a 1 megaton bomb, people up

to 21 km (13 miles) away would

experience flash blindness on a clear

day, and people up to 85 km (52.8

miles) away would be temporarily

blinded on a clear night.” However,

the website also states that 1

megaton is really nothing for

modern nuclear weapons. The

largest nuclear weapon ever tested

was a 50 megaton Tsar Bomba

which is roughly the size of 3,500

Hiroshima bombs combined! Parts

of Santa Cruz County would almost

certainly be damaged by a nuclear

explosion in Silicon Valley.

Q: What are some important things

to know overall about this topic?

A: As Irwin Redlener states,

“Nuclear war is much less likely

than before, but by no means out of

the question. Nuclear war is not

effectively survivable and not

subject to meaningful mitigation.

Nuclear terrorism is possible, maybe

probable. Nuclear terrorism is

survivable and subject to mitigation

requiring planning and citizen

engagement.” Basically, what

Redlener is saying is that a nuclear

war, meaning the firing of many

nuclear weapons by multiple

nations, is not effectively survivable

and would destroy much of our

planet. But if a single person were to

get their hands on a nuclear bomb

and detonate it, it could be

survivable and be prepared for.

If you are interested in learning

more about surviving a nuclear

attack, you can go to the following

websites:

https://www.ted.com/talks/irwin_red

lener_warns_of_nuclear_terrorism

http://undergroundbombshelter.com/

http://www.nukepills.com/

https://purewaterfreedom.com/

https://www.ready.gov/nuclear-blast

https://www.sciencealert.com/watch

-how-far-away-would-you-need-to-

be-to-survive-a-nuclear-blast

- Game Reviews –

Cuphead and Game

Journalists By Denis Jordan

After a game journalist who has been

playing video games for 25 years, took

26 minutes to beat the tutorial and first

level of the game Cuphead, many

people have asked the question, “Does a

game journalist need to be good at

games to give good reviews?” The

website Game Revolution says that one

video can't represent game journalists’

abilities. A point made by website

GameSkinny is that game journalists are

meant to educate gamers about news

about games, but that was only before

the internet -when there were papers

like Nintendo power (which is no longer

9

running). Now, with the internet we can

research how to do something in a

game. We can even watch gameplay or

read something on a forum.

Another downfall of game journalists is

when they compare anything that is

somewhat difficult to Dark Souls (an

action roleplaying game) only because

it's “difficult” – The game Cuphead was

one of the many victims of this, along

with the Crash Bandicoot N Sane

Trilogy. The problem is that both of

those games have almost nothing to do

with each other or Dark Souls. Cuphead

is a side scrolling shooter, Crash

Bandicoot is a platformer and Dark

Souls is an action role playing game

with swords. Notice anything similar

about them, no? That's because they

aren't similar. Dark Souls is only hard

because it's hard to learn the combat

system and Cuphead is hard to play

because it's game play is difficult and

unforgiving. According to streamer

Ding Don, Crash Bandicoot N Sane is

harder to play because the edges are

rounder, but it still isn't even that hard.

In the end it is important to remember

that reliable game journalists are usually

ones that play and enjoy video games.

You also don’t have to be amazing at

games to be a game journalist - you just

have to be average.

Pixel Gun 3D: Block

Style Multiplayer

Shooter by James Metz

An Informational Game Review

You might be wondering “What is Pixel

Gun 3D?” It is a game for people who

want to play an FPS game but also want

to escape from the gritty chaos of more

serious games like the Call of Duty

franchise. This game features “adorable

blocky graphics”, according to Google

Play Editor’s Choice. But what makes

this game so great? We’ll be

considering the pros and cons of the

game, and the best parts of this

surprisingly popular shooter.

One thing most people like about this

game is its Minecraft-like graphics. A

lot of people are fans of shooting

games, such as games like Minecraft.

There weren’t any perfect games that

could simulate a world between the two,

until the company Rilisoft released this

game. People instantly fell in love when

they saw “Block Style Multiplayer

Shooter”. Of course, nowadays they

don’t have that on their title screen.

The downside about this game is that

Minecraft receives a lot of hate from

first-person shooter communities. When

they saw this game, it must’ve been

surprising to see how many people were

playing it. Also, the graphics were so

similar from those of Minecraft (such as

the old versions of the monsters in the

campaign mode) that Mojang, the ex-

owners of Minecraft, copyrighted

Rilisoft. The game was shut down and

taken off the various app stores until

they fixed their graphics. When the

game was re-released, the monsters and

different maps that were affected by the

infringement were then changed, such

as color schemes or different monsters.

They also had to take “Block Style

Multiplayer Shooter” off, for some

reason.

Another reason this game is loved is the

assortment of weapons and other items,

such as pets, gadgets, etc. There are

over 100 different weapons that Rilisoft

designed that greatly affect gameplay.

There aren’t as many pets, but pets

usually have abilities such as ‘burning’,

which sets your enemies on fire and

deals damage over short periods of

time. The weapons and pets range from

different rarities, most common being,

well, ‘common’, and the most rare

being ‘mythical’. There’s sure to be a

weapon that you’ll fall in love with.

Gadgets also offer a lot of flexibility

and can assist you in your rampages.

But, nothing can be perfect. A couple of

weapons have suffered copyright

infringements, such as the Scythe

weapon. It had a face from a monster

called a creeper, a monster from the

game Minecraft. And there are often

complaints about weapons that are too

overpowered, so these weapons often

get what players call “nerfed”, which

means the weapon’s stats were dropped

significantly. And there are still

weapons that annoy people, such as the

weapon introduced in 2017’s Halloween

update, the Judge. It is unique for its

ability to one shot kill players and the

ability to control the direction it goes

via player screen. Recently, it also does

‘area damage’ meaning it explodes and

does damage. The explosions weapon is

a one-shot for players, making it the

most annoying weapon so far.

This game features a trophy system,

where you earn or lose trophies based

on the results of the battle you just

played. The more trophies you have, the

higher trophy level, called ‘leagues’.

There is no limit to trophies, and

trophies are also how the top players of

the world are ranked.

The problem with this is that trophies

are how players are balanced, based on

trophy level. There might be a really

good player who is only Level 12

(considered a low level), yet has 2,100

trophies (that’s a lot). Players usually

have an insane skill set and

overpowered weapons that are unlocked

at later levels. Usually, players are

Level 22 when they have that many

trophies.

Another feature are the currencies, there

are two - coins and gems. Occasionally

they will add others like keys or,

recently, medals. Coins and gems are

the main currencies in the game and are

used to buy things like weapons and

gadgets. Medals and keys are both

earned usually in the same quantity, but

used for different purposes. Keys are

10

used for taking part in an event called

the “Super Lottery”. Occasionally, they

will hold one for days like

homecoming, Christmas, or Halloween.

In the lottery menu, keys are used to

open chests that can contain unique

weapons (e.g. removed weapons),

currency (keys, gems and coins, etc.)

and many others. Each chest costs more

than the other. The cheapest is the 5 key

chests, ranging from the “Super Chest”

which can only be opened by opening

roughly 1,000 small chests. This large

chest will always contain something

good, including the best of the removed

weapons. Medals are the other

alternative, but they work a bit different.

You can’t earn currencies, but you can

earn unique weapons. You have to

collect a set amount of ‘parts’ for the

weapon, and then you have to craft it.

Crafting usually takes, at minimum, 2

hours but can range to even a day. You

will be rewarded with a reliable unique

weapon.

The only problem with currencies is

mainly how much you earn. Keys and

medals aren’t a problem, not even coins.

The best weapons cost gems, which

usually are given in miniscule amounts,

from leveling up. People often complain

about earning these, and the ways to get

a lot are to pay money, more commonly

$100 for 1,200 gems. There is always a

30% sale, but it has never been enough.

There are things that need to be added,

in my opinion. This game could use a

trade system, or even a marketing

system where you buy custom skins or

capes for a set price, weapons at

different upgrade stages (the higher-

level weapon, the more it costs), or a

system where you can trade with

different players. You could trade pets,

unique weapons, or you could also trade

in currencies for each other (coins to

gems, or vice versa), as well as skins

that you made for your character. They

could also add a custom skin maker for

certain weapons.

I would personally recommend this

game for its great gameplay. You may

even become one of the best players, if

you try. Just remember that this game

isn’t perfect, so if there are any flaws,

report them on to Rilisoft on Twitter,

Facebook, or even do a review on your

app store. Enjoy the experience; you

might even see me in the game!

- Book Reviews –

Darker Shade of Magic By Michaella Shanks

Genre: Fantasy

Already read ‘Harry Potter’ and

‘The Hunger Games’? Ready for a new

adventure, but can’t seem to find

anything? Introducing, ‘A Darker Shade

of Magic’ by V.E. Schwab, a thrilling

and elaborate adventure, filled to the

brim with magic. There are three worlds

in the universe of this tale. The first of

these, Red London, is rich in magic and

as beautiful as it is powerful. Most of

the book takes place in this world. The

second world is Grey London, which is

our world with a greedy king and no

magic. Finally, there is White London

which used to have magic, but is now

dying and ruled by anyone who can

murder their way up to the throne.

There was a fourth London, Black

London, but it is long gone now.

The adventure starts when the main

character, Kell, a brave, ambitious, and

stubborn teenager from Red London,

becomes one of the few people who can

travel back and forth between the

Londons. His kind is called ‘Antari’. He

smuggles magic from Red London to

Grey London behind the backs of his

family, the royalty of Red London.

When a woman gives him a stone of

dark magic, he has to flee to Grey

London and runs into a man who steals

from him. It’s later revealed that the

man who stole from him is actually a

girl named Delilah ‘Lila’ Bard. Lila is a

cunning, smart, and immature girl that

forces Kell to take her to Red London

because she wants adventure. Sure

enough, she gets it.

Join Kell and Lila on a journey

around multiple worlds to destroy

the dark magic invading the worlds.

There are two more adventures after

the first. ‘A Gathering of Shadows’,

and ‘A Conjuring of Light’. Both

stories after ‘A Darker Shade of

Magic’ are just as exciting and

interesting. I guarantee that you will

not be able to put these books down.

Of Magnus Chase: The

Ship of The Dead By Diego Delgado

Genre: Fantasy Realism

To begin here is a quick summary of

previous book in this trilogy, The

Hammer of Thor: Thor has lost his

hammer and to get it back Samirah,

a Valkyrie, needs to marry the giant

who stole the hammer. During the

“wedding” Loki, a norse god, is cut

from his bonds using the Skofnung

sword

Magnus Chase returns in the third

and final installment of the Magnus

Chase and The Gods of Asgard

series, accompanied by guest

characters Percy Jackson and

Annabeth Chase (Annabeth and

Magnus are cousins) from the hit

series of books Percy Jackson and

The Heroes of Olympus.

Magnus Chase and his friends are

preparing to travel to the border of

Jotunheim - home of the giants in

11

Norse Mythology - and Niflheim, -

home of primordial ice, coldness,

mist, and fog - on the Big Banana

(Magnus’s Viking longship gifted to

him by his father) to stop Loki (god

of trickery) from sailing “Naglfar”,

The Ship Of The Dead or The Ship Of

Nails, which is constructed of the finger

nails and toe nails of the dishonored

dead. The sailing of this boat represents

the start of Ragnarok (the death cycle of

the gods and cosmos which later will be

subsequently recreated).

This book is an amazing read and I

highly recommend buying it if you’re

into Rick Riordan’s books. Even if have

never read a book by Rick Riordan in

your life, this is a great chance to start.

(Note: I highly recommend readin the

first two books in this series - “The

Sword of Summer” and “The Hammer

of Thor” – first. I guarentee you’ll enjoy

this action-packed book since the

comedy is funny, and the book just

grabs your attention. Rick Riordan has

the gift of making a book incredibly

interesting, while still using actual

mythological characters and it really

makes the scenarios and settings so real.

(Spoiler alert!) My favorite part of the

adventure was when Hearthstone,

Magnus, and Blitzen had to fight Mr.

Alderman, Hearthstone’s dad who is a

ring dragon now because he is wearing

the ring of Andvari which causes people

to reveal their true colors and Mr.

Alderman’s true form is a fire-breathing

beast. The characters were very

sarcastic towards each other, which is

something we saw in the last two books,

but the sarcasm makes it funny. The

fighting scenes were very action packed

and tense. The descriptions left you

dying to read more. The settings were

also great, especially with the detaila

Rick Riordan gives. He truly does paint

a picture in your head. All in all, I

recommend you read this intriguing

book.

- Movie Reviews –

Warning: Contains Spoilers This section is about three movie

reviews; the three movies I chose to

review were The Lost City of Z,

Dunkirk, and Pirates of the Caribbean. I

chose these movies because they are

very good in my opinion. These movies

all are dated before 1940 and 2 are

historical fiction.

Lost city of Z By Aryeh Koontz

The lost city of Z (zed) is a

drama/thriller historical fiction film

from 2016. The plot of the movie is in

Ireland in 1906 a British officer named

Percy Fawcett (played by Charlie

Hunnam) is sent to the Amazons to

chart the border between Bolivia and

Brazil by the Royal Geographic Society.

After dismissing British warnings, he

finishes his journey, but in doing so

finds broken pottery and statues. After

he is sent to England, he discovers he

had a second son born back in Ireland

during his trip. Percy asks biologist

James Murray to back his adventure and

he does. After exploring a second time,

the group gets attacked and Murray gets

an infected wound from an arrow,

Murray is delirious and poisons the food

and supplies before Percy sends him off

with a guide to find a place where he

could be treated. Percy comes back to

England only to be drafted into WWI

and is blinded by chlorine gas in the

battle of the Somme, the largest battle

on the Western front. Percy then departs

a third time with his son Jack and is

drugged in the wild and presumably

killed. In conclusion, I think this was a

good and underrated movie, but it is not

for everyone because of its slow plot.

Pirates of the

Caribbean

Dead Men - Tell No

Tales By Aryeh Koontz

Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell

No Tales is a comedy/thriller from

2017. This movie is about Captain Jack

Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp),

Henry Turner, Will Turner’s son

(Brenton Thwaites) and their quest to

free Will Turner of his curse from

killing Davy Jones by finding the trident

of Poseidon while they are being hunted

by a deceased crew lead by Captain

Salazar. It was filmed almost

exclusively around Queensland,

Australia and filming started in

February 15, 2015. It came out two

years after filming began. I think this is

a great movie because of the places, the

plot, and because Johnny Depp is in it.

Dunkirk By Aryeh Koontz

Dunkirk is also a drama/thriller historical fiction piece from 2017. This

movie is about how 400,000 British,

Polish, Dutch, French, and Belgian

soldiers who were stuck in Dunkirk

(Dunkerque) and their evacuation is

uncertain because they are surrounded

by Nazis. The main characters are

Tommy, (Fionn Whitehead) a British

private on the beaches of Dunkirk

awaiting, Mr. Dawson, his son, and a

shell-shocked soldier who accidentally

killed his friend George in a boat. They

are sailing to help the government take

soldiers from Dunkirk back to England

and Ferrier and Collins, who are in 2

Spitfire planes also help. In the end

338,000 soldiers were saved. I would

recommend this to anyone interested in

war movies.

12

Cartoon by James Mothersole The plot of the comic, named (for now) Quest Philip Ultra, follows the adventures of Philip, Marvin, and David.

The three characters were children in an ordinary world, but were transported to a fantasy-based reality by an

unknown force. The characters have been there so long, they don’t even remember how they got there. Now, they

search for anything that might help them remember their origins, and possibly help them get home. However, the

plot doesn’t matter that much, as the comics are normally short skits that occasionally reference TV tropes and

stereotypes within fantasy-based media.