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An Experiment in Metal: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard ’s Infest the Rats’ Nest Album Review

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Sonja Michaels | Staff Writer

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard performing at Brookyln Steel. Photo by Andrew Blackstein.

Australian rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard released their fifteenth studio album, “Infest the Rats’ Nest,” on Aug. 16 as an experimental look back upon old school metal and psychedelic rock.

The album’s style is pleasantly cluttered.

There is a lot going on in the sound space, and not a single instrument is left unattended to.

Effects are used tastefully to create a balance of clarity and distortion.

Some of the more refined sounds call back to psychedelic rock, adding a trippy flair to familiar metal roots.

Official album art by ATO.

Powerful bass lines from Joey Walker blend with full, thrash-inspired guitars, driven by consistent all-out drumming from Michael Cavanagh.

The second track, “Mars For The Rich,” is a standout.

For four and a half minutes, it is impossible not to at least nod along to the groove, and the last minute or so of the track is likely to get you drumming on the nearest surface.

Though the album is categorized as metal on iTunes and other music platforms, there are many genres providing influence.

While metal fans will undoubtedly enjoy thrashing guitar tracks and frontman Stu Mackenzie’s gritty vocals, there are experimental elements at play that could certainly draw in fans of psychedelic rock, punk, surf rock and experimental music as a whole.

Each guitar track calls back to metal bands like Motörhead and Black Sabbath, with guitar credited to Mackenzie, Walker and Cook Craig in the album notes.

The metal mentality of this album shines through on tracks like “Organ Farmer” and “Perihelion,” that sound is contrasted by the slower pace of “Superbug.”

This lengthy track provides a rest in the middle of the album; there are frequent instrumental breaks, with an outstanding one coming in at 2:20.

“Superbug” is a perfectly timed change of pace from fast-paced vocals and driving instrumentals, readying the listener’s palette to dive right back into five more tight tracks.

It is followed up with “Venusian 1,” a heavy metal blitz with a quick enough pace and feeling to give any ‘70s punk track a run for its money.

“Perihelion” feels like a natural continuation from “Venusian 1.” Its intro might lead you to believe that the song is not going to impress, but it is saved by some interesting backing vocals that come in right in time to save the song and push things forward into the closing tracks.

“Infest the Rats’ Nest” serves as a tribute to the metal of yesteryear, but with crystal clear production and experimental influences from a range of genres.

The music refuses to pull at your emotions or sympathize with you at all, but that is not its purpose; it is an energetic, down-and-dirty collection ready for you to lock your door, pile on your darkest makeup or most studded clothing and rock out for a little over 34 minutes.

The Lion King 2019 Review: The Pride of the Pack

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Official movie poster by Disney.

The latest addition to Disney’s collection of remakes is sure to leave viewers with no worries.

“The Lion King” roared into theaters on July 19, 2019, 25 years after the animated classic’s release in 1994. \

Furthermore, the film earned over $1.4 billion in the box office, but scored low with critics, with its highest score of 7.1/10 coming from IMBd.

The story features Simba, a young lion who learns that he will eventually grow to rule the fictional African kingdom known as the Pride Lands.

His uncle, Scar, is jealous of the prince and his brother, Mufasa.

He attempts to have the future king and the prince’s betrothed exterminated by hyenas.

Scar assumes the throne after assassinating Mufasa and exiling Simba, permitting hyenas to mingle in the Pride Lands with the lions and all the other animals.

Growing up in a large desert oasis with adoptive “uncles” Timon and Pumbaa, Simba must remember his true place in the world and take a stand against those who don’t belong.

In my eyes, the cast did an exceptional job recreating some of the emotion that was lost in the transformation to realism from 2D cartoon animation.

This loss of theatrics marks the main complaint of multiple critics. James Earl Jones performed an even better Mufasa than he did in 1994.

JD McCrary and Shahadi Wright Joseph played their roles of Young Simba and Nala quite well, and the same goes for Donald Glover and Beyoncé claiming Adult Simba and Nala, respectively.

The rest of the actors also did very well, with only one real exception being Chiwetel Ejiofor.

I do miss Jeremy Irons’ Scar. Ejiofor just didn’t evoke the same slippery, manipulative tones that Irons did in 1994.

I loved that some scenes were enhanced and new ones were included, such as Nala sneaking away from Pride Rock, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and especially the ending of the film when the hyenas change alliances.

The hyena trio played the comic relief role much better than they did in 1994, using a running gag over plain and simple slapstick, especially since slapstick isn’t exactly accomplishable using photo-realistic animals, as well as being a much more threatening presence due to the realism.

One thing that bothered me severely was the absolute butchering of “Be Prepared.”

As my second favorite number from the original, it felt like an insult that Disney treated the song the way that they did.

However, I will note that the 2019 version does have a much more menacing tone to it than the original.

Once I got over the shock of how different it was, the low, repetitive beats, the crescendo of the hyena’s chants, and Scar’s deeper, booming voice gave me goosebumps.

Overall, the film was pleasantly surprising in that it’s not as much of a disappointment as it could have been, like other live-action remakes by Disney.

For example, “Dumbo” from earlier this year deviated greatly from the plot of the original, adding many prominent human characters that did not exist in the film’s 1945 release.

Unlike that film, 2019’s “Lion King” reimagined a beloved story without relying on a new plot while giving the Disney classic a makeover.

At the end of the day, the movie told the story that it was supposed to and did the job fantastically.

I can only hope that future Disney live-action remakes can keep the same standard.

Behind the Scenes of Security in Downtown Melbourne

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Downtown Melbourne — a favorite spot among many Florida Tech students — is generally seen as a safe place to go out on a Friday night by students like Zachary Shelton.

Some bars in downtown Melbourne don’t have much security, but that’s because they don’t seem to need any, according to both bar owners and the students who go to their bars.

One bar, Iron Oak Post, is located in downtown Melbourne and doesn’t prevent anyone from entering since the establishment is not 21 and up.

Anne Fears co-owns Iron Oak Post with her husband Mike.

Fears said their bar and several others don’t have security, and she doesn’t see security within the bar as an issue since they don’t have many incidents.

Shelton has only had one poor experience at a bar where a bouncer checked his ID and let him in, but asked him to leave immediately due to full capacity.

“I was very sad,” Shelton said.

However, having no security isn’t the case for all of the bars downtown.

“Some places have their own security,” Fears said. “It is dependent on the atmosphere of the place, it seems.”

Shelton, a senior at Florida Tech, lists Iron Oak Post as one of his top three favorite bars.

“It’s a nice bar,” Shelton said. “It’s quiet. Usually there are college students there. People from my class like to go there.”

Fears said downtown Melbourne requires extra security and police for publicized events in order to ensure that everyone stays safe.

On rare occasions, concert promoters may bring their own security for smaller events involving one bar rather than the entirety of downtown.

So far this year, there have been 46 incidents resulting in police offenses or arrests, according to Melbourne Police records.

These vary from aggravated assault to trespassing, with drunk driving, liquor law violations and assault occurring most frequently.

However, Fears doesn’t see an issue since these offenses are handled and don’t affect the establishments.

“At this point, security seems fairly good outside,” Fears said.

Yet, the bar owner would like to see improvements to security, such as an information system in place that links all of the nightlife establishments for the incidents that do occur.

The system could report real-time security concerns like excessively drunk groups, people walking out on bar tabs, fights, thieves and predator alerts—which are Fears’ main concerns.

“I think if the police and bars worked together, and a normal system was in place, it could benefit,” Fears said.

Shelton also thinks downtown is safe, but acknowledges that not everyone may feel that way.

“Personally, yes, but I don’t think women do,” Shelton said.

According to Shelton, downtown has evolved to include more police presence and public awareness.

“There are less creepy old people,” Shelton said. “I guess they just don’t hang around there as much.”

Shelton agrees that downtown could still improve, such as only allowing ride-shares and taxis down Main Street, ultimately making it safer by preventing drunk driving.

“Luckily, downtown is safe 99 percent of the time, but as the population grows we may see an increase in problems,” Fears said.

Of the incidents listed in police records, only one occurred this August.

Hence, while the police have seemingly handled the incidents swiftly, safety is always a priority.

Tinder profits off fraternities

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Instead of a student ID or campus activity apps like CORQ, new entry methods for college fraternity parties are rising in popularity: the latest, a Tinder profile.

The real question — will partygoers be seeing the “no app, no entry” Tinder policy making its way to Florida Tech’s campus?

The idea of Tinder partnering with college fraternities created buzz earlier this month when University of Texas fraternities signed exclusive contracts with the online dating app that has over 4.1 billion users according to data from The Business of Apps.

Reports from Vox and The Houston Chronicle cite a UT fraternity member describing the partnership as “mutually beneficial.”

The deal consists of a contracted fraternity house receiving a specific amount of money, with the potential for cash bonuses depending on the number of app downloads linked to a hosted event.

In return, the fraternity requires Tinder profiles to be shown as ID for party entry.

In addition, the online dating app provides the fraternity house with merchandise, memorabilia and other Tinder “swag” for promotional purposes.

University of Texas is not the only college where Tinder is tapping into a potential market, specifically those that fall into the 18-22 age bracket.

Fraternities from Northwestern University, Tulane University and the University of Oklahoma have also stated that they have participated in similar contracts with Tinder.

While the Tinder/fraternity partnership has yet to reach Florida Tech, there are mixed emotions among students about how the contracts would work and how well it would be received among partygoers.

“I love the idea of chapters making money and being more accountable at the same time,” said Adam Bettencourt, treasurer of Florida Tech’s Chi Phi chapter. “However, there are obviously concerns about the fallacies of meeting up with a stranger that is often associated with Tinder.”

He also questioned how it would look to download Tinder when an individual may be in a committed relationship.

As a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, Bettencourt said he views the situation as a way to hold accountability for those attending parties at Chi Phi.

Currently, the chapter is using CORQ to keep track of their guest lists, which they submit to Cat Nanney, Greek Life advisor at Florida Tech.

So far, CORQ has made Chi Phi’s job easier when it comes to keeping track of who is at a party, Bettencourt said.

CORQ does not provide any incentive or financial benefit for checking people in, whereas the Tinder partnership allocates an unspecified amount of money through these newly introduced exclusive contracts.

“If per se we did move forward with a contract via Tinder, the one thing I would do with the extra inflow of cash would be to decrease dues for membership,” Bettencourt said.

The other dilemma the business deal raises is if the Interfraternity Council chapter at Florida Tech would even allow this type of partnership.

According to senior, Mitchell Spalding — the vice president of recruitment and expansion for Florida Tech’s IFC chapter as well as the total member educator and philanthropy chair of Chi Phi — stated that the IFC executive board on campus has not specifically looked into any type of contracts with Tinder.

Spalding stated that fraternities could participate in something like this, but in his eyes, it is highly unlikely.

“I feel if we partnered with Tinder, it is tough to create a welcoming atmosphere at Greek Life events,” said Spalding. “CORQ is neutral and we have loved using it so far. It is not just used for fraternity events. It’s for sporting events and other organizations as well and it just makes everything more streamlined and navigable.”

Pat Spangler is the high epsilon for Lambda Chi Alpha, meaning that his responsibilities include party planning and security for events.

“I could see the contract being useful because a lot of students on campus probably already have Tinder, so showing it wouldn’t be that big of a deal,” Spangler said. “But then you still have maybe freshman, or those in a relationship or other outliers who do not have it, and targeting those people to force them to download an app isn’t right.”

Financially, the Lambda Chi Alpha high epsilon said he could see it being beneficial to supplement party expenditures, but overall doesn’t see his own fraternity participating in any type of future business ventures with Tinder.

In terms of the student body’s opinions on the trending party entry debate, some said they weren’t too bothered by it, while others deemed it as a “dumb rule.”

“I probably would show my profile just because I already have one so I don’t mind, but for those that don’t have it I would say it’s pretty unfair and an inappropriate form of targeting customers,” said junior Sigurd Ozols, a construction management major.

One graduate student in applied behavior analysis, Natalia Arasa Bonavila, took a similar stance.

“I don’t currently have Tinder, but if I had to download it to get into a party, I would,” Arasa Bonavila said.

The Spanish native also pointed out that she could easily just delete the app after she got into the party, hence the loophole within the system.

Some students seem unbothered by the possibility of Tinder app entry for their weekend festivities.

However, it is unlikely there will be any signage of contracts due to regulations that could later be enforced by the Florida Tech’s IFC executive board as well as a sense of hesitation from some fraternities on campus.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw Review

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Official movie poster by Universal Pictures.

Buckle up for chaotic action, endless one-liners and a plot that reminds us how reliant the Fast and Furious franchise is on big stars and motor fuel.

Hobbs and Shaw delivers all of this and more.

My biggest praise of Hobbs and Shaw is that it was exactly what I expected it to be.

The writers were relentless with back-and-forth bickering between Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Shaw (Jason Statham).

Most of the jokes surprisingly landed for me and I found myself laughing for most of the movie, even when the film wasn’t trying to make a joke.

As you would expect, there are a lot of outrageous fights and car chases in this movie and I thoroughly enjoyed most of them.

In particular, there was a great balance of wide-angle speed shots and close-up slow-mo moments.

It’s like riding a roller coaster: slow rises, exhilarating falls.

The Fast and Furious franchise has become less about actually racing cars and more about high stakes action featuring different vehicles.

Hobbs and Shaw introduces the franchise to its first super-powered character in Brixton (Idris Alba).

Alba does the best he can with Brixton, who was written as a stereotypical bad guy who shares similar characteristics to our heroes but with a dark backstory.

Despite the poor writing, I thought Alba gave some life to the character and much-needed charisma.

As I said earlier, this movie is very reliant on its star power, but the trio of Johnson, Stratham and Alba may be the most talent we’ve seen in any of the Fast and Furious films.

Side note, this movie features two of the greatest cameos in cinematic history; if you’re expecting Vin Diesel and Tyrese Gibson, just imagine those two but actually good actors.

Hobbs sister, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), is also given a major role in the film and does a great job of balancing out the two brutes with a sleek and suave speaking and fighting style.

This movie is pedal to the metal from the jump and very rarely pulls its foot off the gas.

This movie takes the humor and action scenes from the original eight Fast and Furious films and cranks it up to a thousand.

This often leaves the story and characters’ emotions neglected, but who came to the theaters to see any of that?

We want explosions and testosterone, and that’s exactly what we get with Hobbs and Shaw.

Overall, Hobbs and Shaw is a firework show: loud, bright and sure to bring you joy at the moment, but ultimately forgettable.

Venezuelan immigrants’ impact on Trinidad

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Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Keith Rowley shaking hands with Nicolás Maduro. Picture by PRESA PRESIDENTICIAL on Twitter

Over the past two years the situation has worsened in Venezuela to the point that Venezuelans have been fleeing the country in the masses to get away from Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship. 

Under Maduro’s leadership, the country has faced hyperinflation, food shortages and political chaos. 

According to statistics posted by the U.N., 3.6 million Venezualens left the country between 2015 and December of 2018.

As one of the surrounding countries, Trinidad has acted as a safe haven for over 60,000 Venezualens. 

Keep in mind that Trinidad’s population is 1.3 million, excluding the Venezuelans. 

With most Venezualens not having documentation or passports, they must seek creative ways to sneak onto the island. 

“Private boats is the go-to method for many,” said Erich Koch, a Venezualen migrant who is now a citizen of Trinidad. 

Koch has been in Trinidad since 2005, but he has been around the world and traveled back and forth to Venezuela for many years before finally settling in Trinidad. 

Koch made his way to Trinidad after the Trinidadian government showed interest in a building technique that was being used in Venezuela. Through Koch’s expertise in this field, he became a manager at Macon Trader Co. 

Because of his position in the construction company and him being a Venezuelan native, he finds himself helping a lot of the Venezuelans find jobs and places to live. 

“My labor team consists of eight to 12 guys who are registered in Trinidad,” Koch said. 

In the early part of 2019, Trinidad’s government decided to register illegal Venezuelans and grant them a one year legal status to the island. This status allows them to work, have banking privileges and even have driving permits. 

In this process, only the Venezuelans with clean background records were allowed to register. For the individuals who have records, they were either sent back to Venezuela or kept in immigration facilities. 

While Koch said the registration of the Venezuelans was a good step for the government, he also said that there are a lot more issues involving the Venezuelans in Trinidad. 

“About 75 percent of the Venezuelans that have come into Trinidad are people who were already involved in crime and have come into Trinidad looking for avenues to practice what they know [crime],” Koch said. 

The crime in Trinidad has gotten to a point that people are afraid to leave their houses. 

The gang violence has gotten unbearable and the drug and human trafficking have only increased since the illegal migration of criminal elements from Venezuela, according to the OSAC Trinidad and Tobago 2019 Crime and Safety Report.

“Everyone already knows how bad the crime is in Trinidad and the criminals from Venezuela have found their way into it,” Koch said.

Koch said he believes that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, or TTPS, are not capable or equipped to handle these gangs. 

Human trafficking is also one of the major acts taking place in Trinidad, especially involving teenage Venezuelan girls. 

“It is the easiest way for them to make money,” Koch said. “They don’t speak English so it is easy for them to work in bars or casinos and make money doing [sex work].” 

The Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith, said in multiple interviews that he is taking the increase in crime very seriously. 

In an interview on CNC3’s Morning Brew, Griffith said he already has a 78-point plan and is ready to reform the TTPS all in an attempt in the fight against crime.

Koch said he believes that this is good, but because of Trinidad’s government’s lack of involvement or concern to the increasing crime, he said he is concerned the condition of Trinidad will worsen. 

“I have seen Venezuela go through the process, and Trinidad will soon end up like that,” Koch said.“The same thing that is happening in Trinidad was happening in Venezuela.”

Citizens of Trinidad are continuing to express their frustration to the government and police but minimal efforts are being taken.

Business owners are now having to take matters into their own hands by having more security at businesses and even creating police-community task forces. 

One task force is the Tunapuna Police Station Community Council. 

They act in the city of Tunapuna and have been a voice between both the people and the police.

Since the year began, 16 people were killed in the area of Tunapuna of which 4 were killed in one week.  

While crime has always been a problem in Trinidad, Koch said he believes that it has escalated due to the influx of criminal elements from Venezuela. 

Not only has crime increased, but the form of crime has broadened, from drugs to human trafficking. 

While citizens like Koch are skeptical, he hopes that the police service and the government try their best to show some sort of combat against this surge in crime.

Women’s ex-golf team continues collegiate career

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In the spring semester of 2019, the Florida Tech Athletic Department dismissed three of its sports programs: the men’s and women’s tennis team, and the women’s golf team.

“In a five-minute meeting, the athletic director told us we were being cut because we weren’t competitive enough,” said Noelle Beijer, one of the eight women on the women’s golf team.

Instead of wearing Panther apparel this season, Beijer will be sporting Tiger attire at the University of Missouri.

She is one of three from the women’s golf team to transfer to another university to continue her collegiate golf career.

A key player for the Panthers, The Dutch native has an impressive golf career, scoring an average of 76.33 during her time at Florida Tech, as well as being a medalist honors at the 2018 World Golf Invitational.

Continuing her education path and majoring in global management and finance, Beijer is excited for her future at Mizzou but is saddened that she will no longer be playing on the field with her best friends and old teammates.

“The fact that I don’t even know when I will see them all again makes me sad,” Beijer said.

According to Florida Tech’s athletic director, Bill Jurgens, there were multiple factors that led to the team being cut, including a lack of competitive edge, facilities, the size of the team and the number of athletes that would be affected by the cut.

“We knew the team had not performed well in the fall, but by no means were we poor performers,” said Lauren Watson, a senior and member of the women’s golf team.

Although the women did not start off strong at the beginning of their season, they proved to leave their mark by the end of the season.

“The day we were cut, February 7, we were ranked 21 in the nation,” Watson said. “By March 26, we were fourth.”

The Scotland native described the news of being cut as giving her a sense of “betrayal” and leaving her feeling “undervalued.”

“Why us?” Watson said. “Why now?”

Refusing to go down silently, Watson challenged what she saw as discrimination with the backing of Title IX by talking to coaches and NCAA compliance directors.

After doing so, the NCAA ruled that she, as well as another woman, on the golf team could play and compete with the men.

“I know playing on the men’s team will be far more challenging due to the length of courses they play and the lack of strength and power I have in comparison,” Watson said. “It’s going to be a big adjustment because as I much as I love the guys, I’ll really miss the girls.”

Even though the news of the cut came in the middle of their season, the women persevered in the wake of what Watson described as disappointment, confusion and anger.

By mid May, the women’s determination and competitiveness led them to bring home a gold trophy with the label NCAA Division II Champions.

“Winning nationals was simply the best thing we could do,” Beijer said.

One key player that helped the Panthers take home a massive win was Megan Dennis.

Dennis had five top 10 finishes in the 2018-19 season for the Panthers, and was also a 2018 Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar.

Additionally, she made the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

After the initial shock, Dennis said she immediately began to wonder what her future would look like.

“My first thoughts were complete sadness, but also panic because I knew I was going to have to transfer,” Dennis said.

Hence, The U.K. native made the decision to transfer to Pepperdine University in California to continue her degree in sports psychology for her remaining two years of undergraduate schooling.

Like the others, Dennis said replacing her previous Florida Tech teammates is impossible and she will never forget her time with them.

“I’m mostly going to miss the great atmosphere at Florida Tech,” Dennis said. “We worked hard, we were competitive, and we all shared the same passion.”

Missing Link Review – Get yeti for a wild ride

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Official movie poster by Laika

It can be difficult to blend in with the crowd for a lot of people…and especially for a Sasquatch.

Stop-motion animation studio Laika released its fifth feature-length film, “Missing Link”, on Friday, April 12.

The film has so far received 90% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $16.2 million in the box office.

Adventurer and mythical-creature-discoverer Sir Lionel Frost meets an intelligent Sasquatch while traveling in Washington State, whom he dubs Mr. Link.

Wanting to no longer live a solitary life, Mr. Link wishes to find his long-lost relatives located in a fabled valley in the Himalayas known as Shangri-La.

All the while, Frost and Mr. Link are being hunted by an assassin named Willard Stenk, hired by Mr. Lemuel Lint.

Throughout their journey, there are plenty of perilous situations and funny moments, and a special lesson to be learned about family and ambitions.

Both Hugh Jackman as Sir Lionel Frost and Zoe Saldana as Adelina Fortnight, Frost’s former girlfriend, play their roles well.

Zach Galifianakis as Mr. Link provides a great comedic touch to a film from a studio that is usually darker in theme, such as “Coraline” and “Paranorman”.

Mr. Link’s physical comedy and overly literal mindset make for a character that’s fun to watch and listen to, and his interactions with the film’s other characters are comedy gold.

The film took quite a few turns that I wasn’t expecting, and there were plenty of expectation-subversion moments that caught me pleasantly off-guard.

The quality of the animation was stellar, as always with Laika. The frames blend together so smoothly that sometimes it’s hard to tell the film was done using stop-motion.

If you look hard enough in certain scenes, you can see the ever-so-slight changes in the textures of the character’s faces in close-up shots, and it really is amazing, especially the amount of detail that goes into every character’s design and figure.

The film is not without a few faults, though.

The main conflict seems somewhat forced in that the antagonists try far too hard to prevent the protagonist from achieving their goals.

There were also a few moments where the characters got caught up in exceedingly ridiculous predicaments, and sometimes the physical comedy was a little too-on-the-nose.

I can’t say that “Missing Link” is as memorable as “Coraline” or as impactful as “Kubo and the Two Strings,” but Laika still put together a good feature film that takes a nice turn from the studio’s Goth-like trend.

I look forward to seeing what Laika does in the future.

A Casual Review – ANNO 1800: A Relaxing and Engaging City Builder

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Official game poster by Ubisoft

After two not so successful Sci-fi themed releases, the Anno series has finally gone back to its roots.

Developed by Blue Byte and published by Ubisoft, Anno 1800 is a real-time strategy city-building game that is taking place during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century.

In the game, the player assumes the role of a colonial leader of the crown, building up new economies and establishing trades as the game progresses.

What makes Anno unique is perhaps its competitiveness, unlike most city builder games, the player is not alone.

There are other AI or player factions that seek to prosper, and there is only a limited number of islands and resources, which means that the player needs to think and act strategically.

At the beginning of the game, the player starts off in the Old World, which has a similar climate and environment as the majority of Western Europe.

In the Old World, the player needs to expand and industrialize the colony’s economy, as well as managing different classes of people.

Once the colony has developed to a stable economy, the player can then choose to venture into the uncharted seas of the New World.

The New World is vastly different from the Old World, the player will encounter new threats as well as new resources that are needed to fulfill the people’s demands.

The player will be working with the local populations of the New World, exchanging resources in order to become more powerful.

The game has many mechanics that need to be learned by a new player, such as trade routes, naval combat and chain of supplies.

Fortunately enough, the game did provide a campaign mode for new players to learn while having all the fun that the game has to offer.

The overall gameplay experience of Anno 1800 is quite relaxing.

Like most city builders, the players are in control of the pace of the game, even when there are competitive elements present.

A single game session of Anno 1800 can take a very long time to finish.

It will probably remind the players to take a break or get a coffee because they’ve been staring at the screen for too long.

While I believe that the game is very much recommended for people who are looking for a fun and relaxing game to player, I think that Anno 1800 is not a game worth spending $59.99 for.

The game can also be very demanding on the player’s PC and time, which are the things that most college students don’t have at the moment.

Students participate in Earth Day over 4/20 weekend

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Earth Day takes place on Monday, April 22, but students this year began their celebrations early when Easter Sunday and weekend festivities sparked inspiration.

As the semester comes to an end and students approach their finals with projects and studying, procrastinating from academia for the purpose of celebrating not only Easter but Earth Day as well was popular this past weekend.

With weather and climate being a major concern and issue among controversial topics, celebrating Earth Day has become more important as environmental protection calls for more attention.

Throughout the week, students from SOSA, the Student Organization for Sustainability Action, set up tents outside of Crawford and helped people walking by learn about proper waste maintenance and sustainability.

Taylor Greene, a junior sustainability major, is the vice president of SOSA and believes that a little effort can go a long way.

“Earth Day is big for spreading awareness,” Greene said. “I think if everyone made a small effort to care more about the environment, there would be huge improvements.”

Becoming environmentally conscious was an overlying theme for the weekend as students openly expressed their love for all plants, trees, grass and even weeds.

Small efforts such as picking weeds from a flower bed, even if only grams at a time, could help the environment and make the world a prettier place.

Residence Life Sustainability Committee began growing a garden in 2017 that provided helpful sustainability practices for students to learn about as a part of campus life.

However, caring about the Earth remains a high priority to this day.

To be blunt, the situation regarding climate change and controversy has been messy.

Climate change scientists have conducted studies since the 1960s when Exxon hired the teams to study the environment.

Due to rising carbon emissions and insufficient waste management, there has been an elevated sense of urgency and people feel more compelled to improve the damages to the planet as awareness spreads.

Joint efforts from the public and corporations are growing, and companies like Patagonia are growing popularity for their efforts made towards conservation and sustainability.

Going into Easter weekend with excitement for Earth Day made Saturday, April 20 feel like a holiday on its own.

Students were blazing with excitement, grinding out their frustrations and unifying their passion, making steps to a better Earth and creating awareness for a sustainable environment.

However, environmental talk without action is just blowing smoke.

The Earth may have a chronic problem, and deciding what is best for the Earth can be difficult when people debate so much about what is best for ourselves.

The definition of “healthy” should not be subjective, and while the Earth has no personal doctor, it is up to us to decide a necessary prescription for the most positive outcome, and create an Earth that people would want to marry.