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April Edition: Artist Feature

April 11, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Staff Writer

Kali Taylor

This is the second edition of SLA’s Artist Feature. This series appreciates the artists of SLA and showcases their talents. The reader can also see what’s on the artist’s mind. This month’s artist is Tigidankay Saccoh. TK is currently a sophomore. She is a two-year member of Slam League.

Who is your favorite author and why?

My favorite author is Scott Westerfeld because he uses relevant ideology in today’s society into his books, then revamps them.

What is your usual writing theme?

My usual writing theme is analytical writing.

What is your “job” as a poet?

I feel my job as a creative intellectual is to explore solutions for the societal stigmas that plague the world today.

What are you trying to create with your art?

I am trying to create inspiration with my art.

Who or what influences your art?

My poems are usually driven by the social injustices I know African-Americans endure.

Was there a pinpoint moment when you or a teacher/family member/friend knew you were a great writer?

In 8th grade, I really grew as a writer because my English teacher, Mr. Meltzer was very invested in his craft and inspired me to work on mine.

What’s your favorite poem that you wrote and why?

My favorite poem I have written is Black Girl Epidemic because I wrote it recently and felt very passionate while performing it.

Excerpt of Black Girl Epidemic:

“My radiant tresses are held so highly that even gravity can’t keep it down.

My afro is the most confident and vain of hairstyles.

It sits unruffled upon my head, its chest stuck out for the world to see, reaching high enough to graze the very gates of Heaven.”

What Can We Expect From the Phillies In 2016?

April 10, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

The 2016 Major League Baseball season opened on April 3rd, and now we are faced with seemingly endless exciting baseball story lines, none of which are focused on the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2015, the Philadelphia Phillies finished with a league worst 63-99 record. Through the first four games, the Phillies have lost each game on poor play in at least one dimension of the game. So what is an honest expectation for this season?

The Phillies’ first series of 2016 at Cincinnati was a brutal one. This series consisted of two games in particular where late leads were blown after good outings from starters Jeremy Hellickson and Aaron Nola. On opening day, Hellickson pitched six innings giving up no runs, while Nola pitched seven innings with only allowing one run. The leads were both at 2-1 late. On opening day, David Hernandez came in relief allowing three runs on one hit without recording an out. The next game, young stud Aaron Nola pitched seven spectacular innings and gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead with a Maikel Franco home run. Dalier Hinojosa, a veteran reliever came in to close the game. He allowed two runs that blew the game on a walk off hit from Scott Schebler.

This bullpen struggle comes at no surprise. The Phillies signed several bullpen arms, like Andrew Bailey, David Hernandez, James Russell among others. These are players who likely would not get many innings on contending teams, if they even make the team. Also, when the Phillies traded Ken Giles and prospect Jonathan Arauz for five prospects, they had to expect this. Giles was a young 25 year old flamethrower, now the setup man for the Houston Astros. The only thing the Phillies can do to aid this bullpen is let them pitch, as we shouldn’t expect anything like the Royals in red.

The starting rotation can also be classified as subpar. Consisting of Jeremy Hellickson, Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, Charlie Morton and Vincent Velasquez. Their combined lifetime earned run average is 3.97. This team had a competition for the fifth spot between Velasquez and Adam Morgan. Vincent Velasquez had won, and had a stellar first game. Unlike our bullpen this part of the Phillies has plenty of promise.

The offense also is a wash. The lineup probably has two hitters who could maybe start on another team. Maikel Franco is the face of this team. He is playing the hot corner and name really made it on the map after a hot spring training with 9 home runs. The other, Odubel Herrera, is a pleasant surprise after being the 9th pick in the Rule 5 Draft two year ago. The rest of the lineup has poor talent. The others have hopped between the minor leagues, like Darin Ruf and Andres Blanco. The others like Peter bourjos and Cedric Hunter, bounce from team to team. Then long term Phillies like Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Freddy Galvis have been sitting in limbo, where they play pointless games until this team’s young talent comes around.

The Phillies have a lot of future upside, with a supreme farm system loaded with talent. But for 2016, what can we truly expect. One avid fan, Micah Henry, stated that “The 2016 Phils will improve upon their horrendous 2015 season, but still have a long way to go before becoming a playoff contender. It all starts from finding a quality bullpen.” The bullpen is the bad apple in this bunch… but all we can be is hopeful for 2016. There’s some excitement on a few losing teams, we’re one of them. Some fans believe we can contend, and some find us as bottom feeders. I started a poll where you vote and see where fans view our team’s upside.

http://www.poll-maker.com/poll648732x69eC43c1-27

Sense8tion

April 7, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Michaela Peterson, Staff Writer

Image Courtesy of Netflix

Last year, Netflix unleashed one of the most complex Sci-Fi shows I’ve ever seen. But the thing is, the science isn’t the complex part–it’s the relationship between characters that makes the show so interesting to watch. Sense8 is about eight strangers, from all over the world, whose minds become interlinked with each others. Because of this connection, they are hunted. The plot sounds like any basic sci-fi movie, but once you get more into it, the show becomes captivating.

Just watching the characters interact through the plot is incredible. Each character has their own storyline, and while they are all reflective of each other, they are completely their own. The eight main characters are Will, a cop from Chicago, Nomi, a transgender hacker from San Francisco, Lito, an actor from Mexico, Sun, a business woman from Seoul, Riley, an Icelandic DJ, Wolfgang, a German thief, Capheus, a Nairobi bus driver, and Kala, an Indian pharmacist. Each character is different and strong and wonderful in their own right, and their flaws and strengths cover each others. No matter what the situation, one or more of the sensates has the skills to cover the other persons. One person’s ability to lie or fight can save another person’s life.

One of the strengths of Sense8 is that there are no archetypes in this show. Nomi’s story isn’t about her transition. Kala is deeply religious as well being a as scientist. Despite Wolfgang’s past, he still knows how to treat people. Capheus is always looking out for the silver lining, even though his situation is arguably the worse. Riley’s character is one of the few true representations of depression I’ve seen. Even though Will is a white cop from Chicago, he still goes out of his way to help people other cops wouldn’t. Lito, who spends his life playing the charming hero on screen, can’t admit the thing he loves most in real life. And physically, Sun is the strongest of the characters, yet she is the most controlled by her family.

Another strength is the balance of the characters. I’ve found that in most ensemble shows, there is almost always one character who you don’t want to focus on anymore. Not with Sense8. Even with Riley, who story takes the longest to become clear, you keep watching, wondering what exactly it is she is struggling with. Each character’s arc is complying and the chemistry between the cast is electic.

A word of warning: the show is pretty sexually explicit. There are often scenes with sex or nudity, but none of it is excessive or exploitative. Whether it is demonstrating the relationship between characters, setting up a backstory, or aspects of a character, its all done tastefully.

The main plot of the show, removed from all of the character’s individual plots, takes a little time to emerge. Because of the number of characters, and their complexity, the first episode and a half are mostly exposition. But once it gets started, it picks up quickly. Each sensate experiences a tragic death of a woman none of them have met, and, as they learn more about their connection, Jonas, who is sensate as well, tries to help them understand what is going on. All the while, they are being hunted by another sensate, only named Whispers, who uses his ability to connect with other sensates to hunt them, experiment on them, and eventually kill them.

Created by the same duo that made the Matrix, all the cinematography is gorgeous and the writing is fantastic. There are moments of comedic gold and incredible tension. The show is almost a perfect dramedy, with no episode being overly intense or comedic. They mix emotional content with humor, all while still making you want to know what will happen next. I recommend not binging like I did and spacing yourself out. Because the next season does not come out until next year, you will be left with with an unfulfilled desire to find out what will happen next.

Hearthstone: Would You Recommend?

April 7, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Aidan W.

Staff Writer

I sat down with Thomas Wallison, a 10th grader, who has told me a lot about the card game, Hearthstone, in the past. I know very little about it, but people say that, as a competitive Magic: The Gathering player, it is something I’d enjoy. So, I figured, since I was learning about it, maybe others would be interested in hearing what Thomas had to say.

When did you start playing?

“I started playing just about a year ago. I used to see ads for the game everywhere, and it seemed like something I’d enjoy, but I could never find the time for it. Ultimately, I saw an ad for the new expansion, and finally was able to find the time to sit down and play the game.

“I wanted to get into it because it seemed like a skill based game, with a lot of strategy, which was something I liked. It’s a free game, but most people pay money in order to get cards. I never did, though. I’ve gotten as far as I have without putting any money into it, and I’m pretty proud of that.”

How do you play this game?

“Well, you build a deck with 30 cards. You start the game, and draw a card every turn. You have two types of cards: Minions, which are like monsters that you use like an army, and spells, which can affect the game in many ways.

“In addition to the cards you use in your deck, there are a few different classes. Classes determine the different cards you can put in your deck. There are a bunch of cards you can play in any deck, but there are also different sets of cards for each class. On top of that, each class has a Hero Power, that you can use at any time. It isn’t a very great ability, but since it doesn’t cost a card in your deck and you can use it repeatedly, it can be very good.

What kind of people would you recommend this game to?

“Well, I think as an investment, there’s two kinds of people who would play this game. The type of people who would put a lot of money into the game and get a larger reward faster, or the type of people who would put a lot of time into it and get a much smaller reward. It can be very satisfying to grind towards the cards you need without money, but it takes a long time. I told a friend of mine to start playing the game, and even though I told him not to, within the first few days, he had put money into the game, just because it was a much easier way to get into the game than grinding.”

MTG: The State of Modern

April 7, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Aidan W.

Staff Writer

Explained simply, Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game in which you play with a deck of 60 cards, and try to kill your opponent. While it is not a game for everyone, I have been playing for a long time, and have recently started to play competitively. For the those who do not play, this article will hopefully give you an understanding of the appeal of the game. For those of you who already play, you may find my descriptions useful.

I’ve been playing Magic for almost seven years, and in that time, I’ve seen a lot of nasty competitive decks move through the formats. However, I’ve never seen the modern format as warped as it currently is.

As an almost exclusively modern player, I’ve played a fair number of decks, and played against many more. Many do not love modern as much as I do, but it is still a fun, relatively accessible format for competitive play. This is why I hate to see the modern format demolished by the Eldrazi archetype.

The Eldrazi deck started out as a super-budget brew. Using the underrated Eldrazi lands (Eye of Ugin, and Eldrazi Temple), the deck was able to cast cards like Blight Herder and Oblivion Sower early in the game, in order to ramp into Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger. The only cards whose price was of note being Inquisition of Kozilek, and Ulamog. It was a very cheap, very efficient way to play the game, costing only around $150, with the average price for the format being somewhere between $500-$1,000, sometimes even reaching prices upward of $2,000. Then, it began to take off. Prices were in flux as the deck spiked in popularity, and it single-handedly pushed many decks out of the format, seeing as it had built-in graveyard hate.

However, no one could have been prepared for the Pro Tour, the largest MTG professional tournament, held annually around the world. After the release of the new set, Oath of the Gatewatch, the deck exploded in its power level. With new cards like Eldrazi Mimic, Reality Smasher, and Thought-Knot Seer, the deck took off, and made not just a dent, but put a hole in the format. The deck was obscenely fast, and hit very hard, and, as a result, many other decks became unplayable, as they could not win against Eldrazi. Many people who invested time, energy, and money into their cards suddenly had no way to win the game.

So, what is the solution? Many are calling for the banning of either Eldrazi Temple or Eye of Ugin. Some call for both. Some call for other cards to be unbanned. Ultimately, we won’t know for a while, but, until Wizards of the Coast does something, we are stuck dealing with this borderline-unplayable game.