BRAVO NEWS • 1
WORLD • 2
BRAVO MEDICAL MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL | LOS ANGELES, CA | VOL. XXIX, ISSUE X | WWW.BRAVOWEB.LAUSD.NET| April 2018
The Grad Nite Switch-a-roo By Gerardo Hernández Jr
On Wednesday, April 25th the class of 2018 held a class meeting in Hernández Hall to discuss the class song, graduation speeches, and Grad Nite. There were three options for the class song: Forever Young by Alphaville, Streetcar by Daniel Caesar, and Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid. After the votes were counted and tallied up, the winner for the class song is Forever Young by Alphaville. “If you are interested in writing and delivering the graduation speech, please pick up an application outside room 310 (Mr. Marks) or 313 (Mrs. Montes) or print [out the application from Schoology.] Applications are due Friday 5/4/18. Try-outs will be Weds 5/9/18 at 3:15 p.m. We are looking for graduation speeches in English, Spanish, and Bengali.” Then finally what everyone was waiting for, Grad Nite. Bravo students were able to revote for their choice for Grad Nite, the original option, the park hopper option for both Disneyland and California Adventure from 10 a.m. – 2 a.m. for $160, and the final option, Six Flags Magic Mountain from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. for $115, which includes “park admission, transportation, all you can eat meal service from 9 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., Grad Nite souvenir, and a Six Flags Grad Pass which is good until 12/31/2018 (only blackout date is Fright Night)” according to Ms. White-Holloman’s post on Schoology. The winner, to everyone’s surprise was the Six Flags Magic Mountain option. For “students who have purchased their Grad Nite tickets for Disney's California Adventure and do not wish to attend Six Flags Grad Nite Magic Mountain, you are able to get a refund. Please bring your receipt to the student store after school today (4-26-18). If you do not have your receipt today (4-26-18), you can get a refund tomorrow (4-27-18) at break or after school. If you wish to attend Six Flags Grad Nite Magic Mountain, you must pick up a new disclaimer form in order to attend. These forms are located in the main office. The price is $115. If you paid for California Adventure, you owe an additional $15.00. Tickets will be on sale tomorrow (4-27-18) in the student store at lunch.” according to Ms. White-Holloman’s post on Schoology. No matter what your opinion is on the location of Grad Nite, just remember that you have made it through high school and are continuing your path of life onto post-secondary education or any other plans you might have.
Strikes Against Syria By Gerardo Hernández Jr
President Donald Trump of Friday afternoon announced that he ordered strikes with coordination with France and the United Kingdom on the Syrian regime in response to last week’s chemical attack. “I ordered the United States armed forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapon capabilities of Syrian dictator of Bashar alAssad,” Trump said from the White House Diplomatic Reception Room. In response to the help from France and the UK Trump said, “The combined American, British and French response to these atrocities will integrate all instruments of our national power: military, economic and diplomatic.” The Prime Minister of the UK, Theresa May, said “[I] authorized British armed forces to conduct coordinated and targeted strikes to degrade the Syrian Regime's chemical weapons capability and deter their use.” Trump said strikes would continue “until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents.” According to multiple US defense officials, “US aircraft including B-1 bombers and ships were used in the attack.” French President Emmanuel Macron said, “[I] ‘ordered the French armed forces to intervene’ after a ‘red line set by France" on the use of chemical weapons had been crossed.’” According to CNN, “Witnesses told
One of the missiles that flew over the Syrian capital Damascus as Trump was making his speech. Source:WSJ.com them that they heard explosions in the capital city of Damascus and that they began while Trump was making his address.” The intended targets of these strikes were three chemical sites, according to Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. “The first allied strike targeted a scientific research center in greater Damascus involved in the development and production of chemical weapons. The second site targeted was a chemical weapons storage facility west of Homs, while the third was at a chemical equipment storage facility and important command post.” We just have to wait and see how the Syrian government responds to the strikes and we also have to see if any more military involvement arises.
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World
VOL. XXIX, ISSUE X
April 2018
World
Ready Player One: The Past Meets the Future By Sebastian Diaz
Source: readyplayeronemovie.com In Steven Spielberg’s latest Warner Bros. film, Ready Player One, based on the book by Ernest Cline of the same title, he depicts the possibility of a dystopic future overrun by escapism and 1980s references. Released on March 29, 2018 and currently in theaters (during the release of this issue), the film is fast approaching a global box office of $525 million. Ready Player One takes place in the year 2045, and the creator of a virtual reality world (the OASIS) has passed away. Upon his passing, he holds an Easter egg hunt, which gives the victor full control of the OASIS, as well as his fortune of half a million (I mean, trillion) dollars. This revelation sends the world’s population on a, well...Easter egg hunt, and the three keys needed to get there. Despite seeming like a film centered around the idea of virtual reality, nostalgia, and getting to do anything you have ever wanted to, Ready Player One tackles pretty mature and serious themes of high importance in modern times. The most important issue in the film is the benefits, and extreme consequences of escapism. After the release of the OASIS in the 2020s, the world went on a decline, having people invest most of their time in this virtual reality world, only having to come back to eat, sleep, and use the restroom. There is a scene of clips from newspapers on Wade Watts’ wall reading headlines like, “Oasis Coin: The New Dollar?,” and, “HALLIDAY: BIGGER THAN JOBS?,” depicting the shift and scale of this creation’s, and its creator’s, impact on the world. In an interview by Rotten Tomatoes, Tye Sheridan, the actor who plays Wade Watts/Parzival recalls a line spoken by James Halliday, “Reality is the only thing that’s real. And you have to embrace it for what it
Editorial Matter
is.” Another major theme interwoven into the film is a futuristic take on net neutrality. On December 14, 2017, the FCC, led by Ajit Pai, ruled to repeal net neutrality, in a 3-2 vote. As a result, all internet traffic will not be treated equally anymore. When the OASIS was created, Halliday had the intention to make the game available for everyone to play. Sorrento’s intention is to monetize the entire OASIS, offering memberships and covering the whole display with ads. The final theme is one of responsibility. When Halliday created the OASIS, he has the intention of creating a game for everyone to play and have a great time with others. Overtime, it became a way of life, and with it, came new responsibility he never intended to have. This is very similar to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook; when her created the social media platform in 2004, it was intended to be a virtual place to make friends. Fast forward 14 years, and it became the center of a political scandal, resulting in Zuckerberg testifying before US Congress. Despite being a film of a make-believe world, it has many parallels to the real, current world of 2018.
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Vital Signs Staff Sebastian Diaz Libertad Gonzalez Valentina Guevara Gerardo Hernández Jr Prescilla Rodriguez
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