Movie Review Preview Intro

Cinemixtape

1. Name of the publication
Cinemixtape: Mockingjay Part 2

2. Name of the writer
J. Olsen

3. Grade or score the movie review on a 1-10 scale in your opinion
7 out of 10

4. High Points of the movie (performances, cinematography, plot, etc.)
-It's rising action creates good suspense and it is a relatively simple story to understand

5. Low points of the movie (performances, cinematography, plot, etc.)
-How abrupt the love triangle ends, the fact that haymitch, Effie, and Ceasar have all of 10 minutes of screen time, and the fact that it was split into two movies yet it was one book. 

6. Quote a paragraph from the review that you think expresses the overall opinion of the reviewer about the movie.
"It’s merely a disappointment, an “aw shucks” airball from a streaky shooter who’s been off his or her game for a while."

__________________________________________________________________________________
EW Review

1. Name of the publication

"Holidays" EW review

2. Name of the writer

-Christian Holub

3. Grade or score the movie review on a 1-10 scale in your opinion
-8 out of 10

4. High Points of the movie (performances, cinematography, plot, etc.)
-Digs deep into the history of the holidays, suspense is built well, does it's job as a horror film well, 

5. Low points of the movie (performances, cinematography, plot, etc.)
-Outcomes are easy to predict, the beginning of the movie (valentine's day) was very weak, casting of smith's daughter to be a stripper is grotesque

6. Quote a paragraph from the review that you think expresses the overall opinion of the reviewer about the movie.
"Some of the films are haunting, some of them more macabre, but all of them play with holiday symbolism in way that will make viewers rethink a lot of their favorite celebrations."

Movie Prep

1. Who are the main characters you would expect to see in the movie, based on the real life events?
-Richard Phillips, the pirates, Captain Larry Aasheim, captain Commander Frank Castellano, Najee

2. Briefly, in 2-3 paragraphs, tell me what you expect the plot to be in the movie, based on the real life events?
-I think the movie will start off with a ship setting sail carrying loads of cargo for a few countries in Africa, Uganda, Somalia, and Kenya. The crew remains in fear as anything could happen in any given moment. Then I believe that fear will come to life as the pirates attack their ship.
    I think there will continue to be a fight between the pirates and help will be sent to aid Captain Phillips. Later, Captain Phillips will decide to kill the pirates on the boat and violence will break out. After it ends, I think it will show the pirates that were captured serving their time.

3. Why was this story important?
-It demonstrates the danger found in pirates and that people should head the warnings that they are given. Captain Phillips did not listen when he was told that he should stay 600 miles off the coast. 

4. Why did the pirates try to take the ship?
-They wanted to take the cargo so they could sell it for money
___________________________________________________________________
1. List the five most important actors in the film.
-Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahat M. Ali

2. What is the movie rated?
-PG-13

3. Who directed the movie?
-Paul Greengrass

4. Who was the producer?
-Scott Rudin
Dana Brunetti
Michael De Luca

5. What awards did it win?
-six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Abdi.
-Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic
-Top Ten Films of the Year
-Outstanding Supporting Actor
-Best Sound Editing: Dialogue & ADR in a Feature Film

6. How much did it cost to make?
-$55 million

7. How was it received by audiences?
-The film was praised for its direction, screenplay, production values, cinematography, and the performances of Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi. 

8. What did other movie reviews think about the movie?
-Roten tomatoes was very impressed.  They said it was incredibly intense and  gave it a certified fresh score of 93%. 

Final Exam Preview Assignment

1.) Summarize what you watched and read about - let's say 2-3 paragraphs of 3-4 sentences
    -I watched and read about how to make a complete and full iMovie video. To begin you have to have your pre recorded clips that you want to put into your video. That way you can add your clips frame by frame.
    As you go along you can edit and trim the length of your clips. You can also add borders, frames, credits, and many other aspects to enhance your film. iMovie is meant to be simple to use and is very helpful to create videos quickly and of good quality.
     iMovie includes ways to import your videos, add clips, add media, and adjust clips. All of these aspects make for a better product in the end.

2.) Tell me one thing that you already knew about iMovie that the website explained

-One thing  I already knew was how to import my clips into the program o that I can work with them and adjust them.

3.) Tell me one thing that you learned new today that you didn’t know before.

-I learned that you can trim and add sound control to your films in iMovie. I think this will be really helpful during the project.

4.) What are you concerned about with this final project?

-I am concerned about making it have some sort of meaningful impact and not just being boring and pointless.

5.) What are you confident you can complete early and have ready to use?

-I am confident that I can get Ben to do the drawing whenever  I need because he has to do sketch book assignments for art anyways.

6.) If I asked you today, what do you think you will do for your video?

-I think that I will do a video of my brother drawing an inspirational or motivating image from start to beginning and do some sort of poem during the video.

Current Events Quiz 6.1

1.Who is replacing Andrew Jackson on the face of the $20 bill? Page A1 "Jackson out..."

-Harriet Tubman is replacing Andrew Jackson

2. Whys is a Texas teachers union suing the head of the state education agency? Page B1 "Teacher union sues..."
-Over a new evaluation system that ties students standardized testing scores to teacher’s scores

3. How many people have been killed in weather related accidents in Houston since the big floods of this week? Page B1 "Flood-hit Houston..."
-Eight people have been killed in the floods

4. What is the main focus or subject matter of an experiment that Westlake students were approved to send into space this week? Page B2 "Westlake students' winning..."
-The main subject matter is algae and its growth in space

5. What are 4 of the 6 ways to change the look of your room according to the article on page SA2 "Make effective decor...."
-Layout
-paint
-Upholstery
-Window Treatments

 

SHORT ANSWER

       I felt very nervous and anxious after reading this story just to know that there are people in this world that would knowingly leave contamination and potentially poison in the drinking water of people. I can’t believe that people would do this especially when they know that people are going to drink that water and it is not safe. Furthermore, the fact that the water was visibly dirty yet the state wouldn’t fix the problem is really wrong and upsetting. This town is full of people just like everyone else and the government has no right to treat them any differently.

     I had not heard of this story before reading it in the paper and kind of wish I hadn’t known as it just causes me to trust the government a little less.

       The people who knew that they were potentially poisoning a lot of people including children should be fined and go to jail. They were knowingly letting people drink dirty water that was not safe. This water could have killed people and that is just like a murder charge as they knew the dangers that the drinking water held to citizens. Those involved should not be let off easy as this was a situation that could have been stopped and controlled.

        I believe if it goes to the government they should be held just as accountable because the citizens who received this water in Flint complained to the government that it was visibly dirty and they did nothing about it. This water they were given was clearly contaminated and I believe the government should take just as much responsibility in this problem as they did not help these citizens when this dirty water was reported to them.

Free Write #3

       PROLOGUE: The nation is controlled by ducks. The king of all the ducks is the Mandarin Duck, which can be identified by it's bright colors and feather like mane around its neck. The mandarin duck is somewhat of a dictator and all the other ducks address him as the great leader. However, in this nation, their are not only ducks but there are geese. The mandarin duck and all the other ducks are very prejudiced towards these geese. They consider them outcasts and trash. This display of racism and prejudice between the ducks and the geese has caused conflict between the two species. The problems in this nation don't stop here however. The dictator duck (the great leader) has set up brainwashing ponds all over the nation so that all ducks think that he is the supreme duck and that everything he does is good and righteous. Furthermore, these ducks are secluded from the outside pond and don't know that "the great leader's" ways are not good. This nation is called ducktopia.
    In ducktopia, ducks everyday are dying due to the "great leader" and their attempts to escape. "The great leader" feels that punishment should be inflicted on any duckling that makes the slightest mistake. This punishment consists of being squished by the great webbed foot, a contraption made by "the great leader's" minion ducklings. Ducklings are put into the brain washing ponds at the age of 3 months and are taught about how great the mandarin duck's ways are. However, a few ducks are able to look past this brainwashing and see that the mandarin duck is not good for their nation. They try to escape across the BOC (border of cattails) but few make it across. However one day, Finn was born. A duckling with big ideas and a brave heart.
     Finn was immediately thrown into the brainwashing ponds but as he grew older, he was one of those ducks that knew "the great leader's" ways were not good for Ducktopia. The only difference between Finn and the other ducks that knew the mandarin duck was a bad leader was that Finn didn't try to leave or escape. Finn stayed and began to form plans and actions. He stayed away in his mud dome house for many years as he watched his nation, Ducktopia, suffer from the wrath and rule of the mandarin duck. As the years went on, Finn grew angrier and angrier with the mandarin duck. Fin was different from all the other ducks. He didn't understand how anyone could be so cruel to their own species and so cruel to the geese. Finn finally took his plans and put them into action.
    He angrily waddled to the pond palace where the mandarin duck ruled from. He threw open the doors and marched his way up to the cattail throne. The Mandarin duck immediately sent his minion ducks to stop and kill Finn but Finn had prepared a weapon that the smell would knock out the other ducks. As he trampled his way through all the minions he finally reached the mandarin duck. he mandarin duck stood up and Finn's adrenaline started rushing. Finn charged at the Mandarin Duck trying to knock him out but the Mandarin duck didn't even fight back. He just stood their and surrendered. Finn had won.
     The Mandarin Duck had never had to do anything himself so when Finn was able to challenge him and only him he couldn't do anything about it. Finn, an ordinary duck had restored peace to this nation that was once destroyed. Finn became the leader of ducktopia but gave the ducks a say in everything that happened. Ducktopia was restored to a state of peace, happiness, and success. It may not seem like one person can make a difference, but one will never know until they try.

Photo made into art

Lonestar Dispatch Issue number 5

FRONT PAGE
PALS mentor elementary students 
Students from Bowie are in an organization called PALS lead by history teacher Alejandro Garcia. They are assigned a PALee and are given the opportunity to teach, get to know, and hangout with that person/student/PALee

Who? 

Pals and elementary students

What? 

Students from Bowie in the PALS organization are keeping elementary kids happy

Where? 

James Bowie High School

When? 

April 22, 2016

Why? 

To become closer with their PALee 

How?

 By hanging out with them, reading to them, talking with them, and teaching them. 

Who was quoted in the story? 

Junior Amy Cox

History teacher Alejandro Garcia

Junior Macy Hartman

What quote was the strongest in your opinion?

I think that Amy Cox's last quote was the strongest because it not only talked about how PAL's teach their PALee's but how their PALee's can inspire and teach them.

Did the lead sentence make you want to keep reading?

Yes because I wanted to know more about the organization

Was the conclusion a quote or a statement?

Quote

STUDENT LIFE

Disability won't stop talent

Kenny Finkelstine was born without the use of his left hand however that has not stopped him from pursuing his love of music. He goes to plays and coverts and knows a lot of music history. Kenny has not let his physical disability disable his spirit. 

Who? 

Senior Kenny Finkelstine

What? 

Kenny Finkelstine has a disability of not being able to use his left hand yet still pursues music

Where? 

James Bowie High School

When? 

All of his life

Why? 

He was born 11 weeks premature and had a brain hemorrhage a few days after

How?

Kenny was born early yet has a great personality so he doesn't let this disability hold him back but takes in a lot of music history knowledge 

Who was quoted in the story? 

Kenny Finkelstine

Mom, Ruth Finkelstine

Senior Colby Jeffus

Scholar teacher Ethan Ellerbrock

What quote was the strongest in your opinion?

I think the last quote by Kenny was the strongest as it gave us his perspective that not all physically disabled people are mentally disabled as well

Did the lead sentence make you want to keep reading?

Yes because I couldn't imagine living without two hands

Was the conclusion a quote or a statement?

Quote

NEWS

Seniors receive nostalgia with four-year-old letters
Seniors, at the end of the year, receive the letters that they wrote to themselves when they were freshmen. They are stood in an english class for four years and then she the seniors receive them they are able to see how much they have changed and matured through their high school year. 

Who? 

seniors of Bowie

What? 

Receive the letters that they wrote to themselves their freshmen year

Where? 

James Bowie High School

When? 

End of senior year

Why? 

A fun reminder of how high school began for them when they were freshmen

How?

They write the letters as freshmen and Ms. Blevins keeps the letters in her room until they are ready to be distributed

Who was quoted in the story? 

English teacher Shari Blevins

Senior Kandice Cox

Senior Angelica Saenz

What quote was the strongest in your opinion?

I think the quote my Angelica Saenz was the strongest as it showed how people can change as they go through the four years of high school

Did the lead sentence make you want to keep reading?

yes because I remember writing that letter and i wanted to hear the funny things people had in theirs

Was the conclusion a quote or a statement?

Statement

SPORTS

Softball team is still undefeated

The bowie varsity softball team has so far gone undefeated in district play. The coaches and players give credit to the hard work in practice, and the strong bond between the players and the coaches. The softball team has never gone this far undefeated in district play. 

Who? 

Bowie Varsity Sotball team

What? 

They are currently undefeated in district

Where? 

James Bowie High School

When? 

The spring season of 2016

Why? 

They have won all of their games and no one at Bowie has ever done that

How?

The team works hard in practice and bonds well so that they are close and able to fight for the win every game

Who was quoted in the story? 

Headcoach Liz Wissel

Junior Alex McClennan

Junior Kaley Farnish

What quote was the strongest in your opinion?

I think the first quote by Alex McClennan was the strings t as you got a players perspective on the hard work the team has put into winning. 

Did the lead sentence make you want to keep reading?

Yes because it created good suspense and pulled me in. 

Was the conclusion a quote or a statement?

Quote

ENTERTAINMENT

Band director set to move to a new school at year's end

Band teacher Kim Shuttlesworth is leaving Bowie next year to start a new program at a new school however she has left her mark at Bowie. Students felt that she taught in a specific way that helped them excel and student felt that they could talk to her. She will be missed next year at Bowie.

Who? 

Band teacher Kim Shuttlesworth

What? 

The band teacher is leaving Bowie to start a new program but her legacy won't b forgotten

Where? 

James Bowie High School

When? 

Next school year 2016-2017

Why? 

She is starting a new program at a new school and feels that she has changed the bowie program fr the better

How?

She had specific teaching methods and advice that motivated kids and allowed her to feel like the program will stay how it is even if she is gone

Who was quoted in the story? 

Band teacher Kim Shuttlesworth

Junior Gianna Nuckols

Senior Lauren Anderson

Senior Danny Cruz

What quote was the strongest in your opinion?

I think the last quote by Danny Cruz was the strongest as it definitely showed how she was more than just a band teacher

Did the lead sentence make you want to keep reading?

Not really as it kind of just told me what was happening.

Was the conclusion a quote or a statement?

Quote

COMMENTARY

Social Media back at it again

Damn Dnaiel became a poplar hit very quickly yet it got annoying in schools when that's all you would hear in the halls. However the two kids were able to use their fame for good and donate a bunch of shoes to a children's hospital. 

Who? 

Damn Daniel. Daniel and Josh

What? 

They became an overnight hit and even though it was annoying were able to use their fame for good

Where? 

California and James Bowie High School

When? 

A few weeks ago

Why? 

People thought it was funny and wanted to be just like Daniel's friend Josh

How?

They were posting videos on snapchat and got famous. Then when Daniel received his lifetime supply of vans he gave them to a children's hospital.

Who was quoted in the story? 

No quotes but Alicia Molina wrote the story

What quote was the strongest in your opinion?

No quotes

Did the lead sentence make you want to keep reading?

Yes because I could relate to the annoyed feeling towards Damn Daniel

Was the conclusion a quote or a statement?

Statement

IN-DEPTH

A shift in political apathy?

This years elections has truly provoked emotions. So much so that it may bring the millennial generation out to vote. This generation hasn't shown up to polls that often except now with the use of social media and Donald Trump, millennials are expected to show up to the polls. 

Who? 

The millennial generation and other voters

What? 

The millennial may show up to the polls this year as social media and the internet has been a big portion of campaigns

Where? 

The United States of America

When? 

November 4, 2016

Why? 

The millennial generation hears things and sees things on the internet before anyone else. 

How?

They are ages 18-25 so they are on the internet all the time and constantly getting phone notifications from social media. 

Who was quoted in the story? 

No quotes 

What quote was the strongest in your opinion?

No quotes

Did the lead sentence make you want to keep reading?

Yes because Donald Trump is such a controversial person 

Was the conclusion a quote or a statement?

Statement

1. What is your favorite photo in the entire paper?

The Picture for the story "Baseball plays it safe"
1A. Why is this your favorite?

It's a good action shot that really tells the story of the photo and of the actual copy that goes with the photo.
1B. What rules of photo composition are evident?

Depth of field, balance, leading lines, and background

2. What is your least favorite photo in the entire paper?

The photo of the kid next to the tennis story where he is leaned up against the water jugs.
2A. Why is this your least favorite?

It is not exciting, the subject is right smack in the middle, and it just doesn't grab my attention or tell a story like most of the other photos do

3. If you were a photographer on staff, which event/photo assignment would you have liked to do for this issue? You will need to look through the entire paper and see the topics covered and decide which one you think would have been fun.

The softball game because I play softball and really loving taking sports actions shots

4. Overall, how would you rate the photography in this issue? What were the strong points and weak points.

I would rate the photography a low A because not all of the pictures really tell a story. However most of the photos are in focus, fairly interesting, and go really well with the stories they are paired with. I think the photo composition rules could be a little better.

Infographics and illustrator

This is for the commentary pice on Damn Daniel

_____________________________________________________________________________

This is for the news story about freshmen letters being returned to seniors

________________________________________________________________________________

this could be an info graphic for a news story on prom with interesting statistics. 

Infogr.am

Untitled chart
Create your own infographics

Sports Current Event

1. http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODE/AustinAmericanStatesmanNIE/
2. One-Hit Wonder: Texas Somehow gets Victory
3. The Texas Rangers won their opening game with a blooper to the outfield. It was the first loss for Feliz and the person who hit the blooper is usually a home run hitter.
4. Bloop: a really weak hit that should have been an out but the opposing team made an error on the ball
Slugger: a person who usually hits the ball really hard
5. Defending, Slugger, shaky,
6. Recap because it was describing the recent win of the Texas Rangers in detail about how they won the game on an error.
7. Rankings, it mentions that it was the opposing teams first opening day loss and how it was  a great start to the rangers season. Meaning the opposing team must have been ranked pretty well while the Rangers were struggling a little.

Sports Exploration Activity

1. Softball
2. Favorite Athlete: Blaire Luna
3. College D1 softball Rankings: Alabama is 4th with a record of 31-7
4. Summary of Blaire Luna:
            1. She had 80 wins and 30 losses in her college career at UT.
            2. UT made it to the Texas world series while Blaire Luna was pitching.
            3. Lauren Haeger was named the 2015 collegiate player of the year
5. Three important rules are 3 strikes means a batter is out, the pitchers food may not leave the  
    ground until the all has been released, and runners can only come off the bag after the ball
    has been released.
6. In-field fly: the ball was hit in the dirt part of the field when there was a runner on first and second with less than two outs so the batter is automatically out and the runners don't have to run.
Blue: this refers to the umpire (the person standing behind the plate wearing the blue shirt that calls balls, strikes, and outs)
Signs: the signals that the coach near third base is giving to the batter so that the batter and runner know what to do
7. "There's nothing soft about it"
You could say this less cliche by saying that the softball is actually hard and the name is very misleading.
8. Blaire Luna:
Blaire Luna was born in Austin, Texas on December 16, 1990 and attended the University of Texas. She played 11 games her rookie year with a 10-1 record. After playing for UT she went on and played with the USSS Pride. In 2011 she was in the national top 10 for the best softball player in the nation. Later in 2011 and 2012 she was the Academic- all time athlete. Finally she was the Big 12 pitcher of the year.
         

Current Events Quiz 5.3

1. How are AISD and the City of Austin working together to keep more money in the Austin community to use for schools? Be specific - Page A1 "City,Austin schools look for...."
A limited tax swap in which certain schools could be taken over preventing in paying more money than needed to the state. 

2. How many years will it take California and NY to raise the minimum wage to $15? Page A4 "Calif., NY to phase in $15...."
6 years

3. What school won the NCAA Men's basketball tournament last night and what was the final score? Page SE2 "Wildcats have finishing touch"
The villanova wildcats with a score of 77-74

4. Which of the 10 Amazing Destinations would you want to visit and why? Page SA1 "See the World" NOTE: This story jumps....
Australia because I have always wanted to snorkel in the great barrier reef (and see one of the seven wonders of the world) and pet a koala. 

5. Do you like idea of Instagram expanding videos from 15 second to 1 minute? Why or Why not? Page D1 "Instagram videos...."
Yes because sometimes the idea behind a video can't be captured in only 15 seconds. I think that more funny things and inspirational things will be able to be seen on Instagram if they expand to 1 minute long videos. 

 SHORT ANSWER

The major candidates left in the race are Hilary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and Ted Cruz. 

I don't really support any specific candidate because I don't agree with any of their views. I think the best ft would be Bernie Sanders except for the fact that he wants to raise taxes. I think the rest of the candidates are corrupt and aren't going to help America in any way. 

I think the United States is becoming more divided due to this election because people have very strong opinions about who they think should be the president. These strong opinions are causing fights, insults and strange apps to occur. People aren't really thinking how each candidate will effect America as a whole but how it will effect their personal lives. 

What concerns me most about this election is that there is no real good candidate. In my opinion, Hilary is completely corrupt, Trump is insane, Cruz just cares about beating Trump, and Bernie is going to raise taxes. I feel like our next president is going to have real issues running the united states. 

I think the big topics pushing these candidates are immigration, taxes, warfare, and the lower class. I think illegal immigration is a big factor (or t least that's all that Trump talks about) and the lower class goes with the idea of how people are going to distribute money and how they plan on taxing people. 

The topics most important to me are taxing and immigration. I believe that taxes should not be more expensive for the wealthy just because they (or most of them) had to work to get to that point and they shouldn't be punished for being wealthy. I also think that we can't get rid of all the illegal immigrants in the United States because that would take forever and just isn't fair to the people who came here to improve their lives and their children's lives.